Family Comes First
by Energyn
Summary: We all know Ryder, the charismatic 10 year old genius that trained a group of pups that became the PAW Patrol, but what if he had an older brother, one that seems to be always compared to him in every way. Kyle is his 15 year old brother, and the two of them have been close since Ryder was born. What happens when Kyle comes to Ryder and the Paw Patrol with some unexplainable cuts?
1. Chapter 1

"What's the big deal, dad? It's not even that bad!" A young voice yelled, seeming to belong to a teenager by the way his voice cracked when he yelled.

"Not bad? I didn't spend all that money to send you to that school just for you slack off!" Another voice retaliated, this one sounding a lot older. A teenaged boy and his father were standing across from each other in their living room, both, from the looks of it, having their blood boiling with anger.

"It's a B+! I was one point off from an A! One point! Plus, that one test isn't going to bring down my grade at all!" The teenager yelled back. His father looked at him with shock and disgust as soon as that sentence left his mouth.

"How could I have raised this kind of child? Kyle, why can't you be more like your brother? He goes around town, using his knowledge for the safety and well being of everyone, giving a home to those poor pups! What are you doing? Slacking off at your schoolwork? Sitting at home doing nothing? You're becoming a disappointment, you know that?" Kyle's father finished his rant, the teenaged boy furious with rage. Kyle stormed up to his father, his rage not able to be contained.

"OH! I'm SO sorry I can't be like Ryder! You know, he has a great gift, I'll admit that. But YOU can't make me try to live up to him! I can't always live up to your freakishly high expectations, OKAY? Just because I can't be like Ryder doesn't give YOU..." Kyle jabbed his finger into his dad's chest, "...the right to call me a disappointment!" Before he knew it, his father grabbed his wrist, a yelp of pain coming from Kyle.

"Don't you DARE touch me." His father muttered, bearing his teeth in anger at his son.

"Ow ow ow! Let go you dick!" Kyle yelled in pain, which sent his dad over the edge. Squeezing Kyle's wrist in a death grip, causing a sickening pop from it, his father shoved him back. Kyle luckily regained his footing before he could fall back onto the coffee table, resulting in even more injuries.

"You're a disgrace to me! Get out of my sight before a beat the living crap out of you!" His father snapped, which was the signal that Kyle should go. He didn't say a word to his father, nor did he even look his general direction. He just made his way to the front door, not even looking behind him as he opened it up and slammed it behind him. Once he was outside, Kyle let out a long, upset sigh. He looked down at where his father had grabbed him, his wrist already bruised and slightly swollen. He tried bending his wrist, only to have a wave of pain be sent throughout his nervous system. The bruising on his wrist was starting to get darker, which worried him. He wanted to get away from the house, and the only other place he could think of his The Lookout. He didn't want Ryder to see all of his bruises and cuts that littered his body. Yes, multiple cuts and bruises. This wasn't the first time Kyle's father had hurt him, and sadly wasn't the last, most likely. But since his sweatshirt was inside the house, and it probably wasn't the best plan to go back inside for it, he would just have to be prepared to explain them.

"Oh boy, it was gonna come up sooner or later." Kyle said defeatedly. Before he could change his mind, he pulled out his phone and dialed Ryder's number.

 **...**

Ryder was standing in the yard of the The Lookout, all of the pups participating in a game of tag. They currently had a day off, and the pups were making the most of it. Ryder smiled as Skye was running after Marshall, who was watching how far she was behind him instead of watching where he was going. He ended up running into a bush and got tagged, exclaiming an 'I'm okay!' before getting back up and running after the other pups. Ryder couldn't help but laugh at the sight, sighing contently. A moment passed before he heard his Pup-Pad begin ringing. Curious, he pulled it from his pocket to see that his brother was calling. A small smile formed on his face as he answered the call.

"Hey Kyle, what's up?" Ryder said in his usual energetic tone.

"Oh, hey Ryder. Is it okay if I hang out at the Lookout for a bit? I kinda need to get away from home for a couple hours." Kyle's voice emitted from the tablet, causing all of the pups to stop and focus their attention towards Ryder.

"Why? Is there something wrong?" Ryder asked him, what he said before worrying him.

"N-no, everything's fine, Ryder. I just want to get out of the house for a bit, that's all." Kyle said, Ryder noting the stutter at the beginning of his sentence. He noted how Kyle's tone of voice was kind of off as well, which even worried him more. At that point, all of the pups had gathered around Ryder, curious about the call he received.

"Are you sure? Because you don't sound-"

"Ryder, I'm alright. Seriously. Is it okay?" Kyle said, his voice sounding more convincing.

"You know you're always welcome here, Kyle. Of course it's okay." Ryder said, a smile forming on his face.

"Thanks, Ryder. You're the best. I'll be there in a little bit." Kyle said.

"No problem, Kyle. See you soon." Ryder said his farewell, ending the call. He looked up from his tablet and at the pups that gathered around him. They all had a look of uncertainty.

"You pups heard something...off about Kyle, right?" Ryder asked the pups.

"Yeah, he seemed upset." Chase said, the others agreeing with him.

"What do you think was wrong, Ryder?" Skye asked, Ryder shrugging.

"I'm not sure. He really wanted to get away from home though. Maybe something happened there." Ryder concluded, sticking the Paw-Pad back in his pocket. "I'm definitely going to ask him when he gets here."

 **...**

Kyle stood in the driveway of the Lookout, his heart pounding so hard he could hear it in his ears. He looked off in the distance to see that Ryder and the pups were in the yard, running around and playing to their hearts' content. Kyle couldn't help but smile at the sight. He had a huge soft spot for the pups, they were used as his coping mechanism sometimes. He obviously didn't tell them that, he usually wasn't one to show his feelings, if you couldn't tell. Kyle took one final deep breath before continuing his way towards the group. As he exited the driveway and started walking on the grass, getting closer to the group, Chase was the first one to notice Kyle.

"Kyle's here!" Chase said happily, bolting towards the fifteen year old. Kyle smiled as the German Shepherd pup ran up to him and jumped up into his arms. Chase started licking his face happily, causing Kyle to laugh.

"Whoa! Hey Chase! Glad to see you!" Kyle said , smiling at the pup in his arms. The other pups quickly ran up to Kyle as well, with Ryder coming up lastly behind them.

"Kyle, I haven't seen you in a while." Ryder said, smiling at his older brother.

"I know, I missed you guys." Kyle said, putting down Chase. As Chase jumped out of his arms, he barely clipped his injured wrist, causing a wave of pain to shoot up his arm. He let out a small groan of pain, but the pups were able to pick it up easily with their heightened sense of hearing. Kyle quickly covered up his wrist as he stood back up at his full height, but the pups just looked at him with expressions of worry. Kyle immediately noticed their stares, along with Ryder, which caused Ryder to look at Kyle with worry as well. Kyle knew he had to attempt to play it off.

"What?" He asked , trying to play dumb.

"I heard you just then, you sounded like you're in pain." Rumble said, his ears dropping.

"I heard that too," Skye admitted as well.

"What do you pups mean? I'm fine." Kyle said, trying to act like nothing was wrong.

"Kyle, I can see youw awms. They have cuts on them." Zuma pointed out, Kyle's face going pale as soon as he knew he was busted. Ryder walked up to his brother, examining his arms closer.

"Zuma's right, there are a bunch of cuts." Ryder stated, looking at Kyle. "Kyle, where did you get these?" Kyle stayed silent, looking at the ground. "Kyle? Please, tell me." Ryder pleaded as Chase walked up to Kyle's leg and started tugging on his pants leg with his paw.

"Kyle, please tell us. We just want to help." Chase pleaded as well, ears lowered.

"Yeah, we care about you." Rocky said.

"We can't stand seeing you like this." Zuma tried to coax Kyle. Kyle just took a deep breath and continued to look at the ground, this time closing his eyes,

"Dad gave me these bruises, Ryder." Kyle finally said, everyone going completely silent. All the pups and Ryder had a look of complete bewilderment.

"W-What?" Ryder stuttered, not sure if he heard Kyle right.

"Dad gave these to me, okay?" Kyle said a little louder, not wanting to repeat himself anymore.

"He...hits you?" Marshall asked, his blue eyes wide with surprise. Kyle nodded.

"He gave me this today," Kyle moved his hand off of his wrist to show that it was now a dark purple color and swollen. "That's why I wanted to get out of the house today."

"I can't believe that Dad would do that." Ryder said, looking at his brother, completely heartbroken.

"Hey, I need to sit down. I don't think walking all the way here was the best plan." Kyle admitted, his entire body feeling completely sore.

"I knew I should've had one of the pups come get you. Let's get you inside." Ryder said, putting his arm around Kyle's back to guide him towards the Lookout.

Kyle was finally sitting down after the long day he had. He was seated in one of the bean bag chairs that were in the hangout area for the pups. Marshall had already cleaned him up, wrapping up his wrist that actually turned out to be horribly sprained. All of the pups sat around him and looked on with expressions of sympathy as Ryder walked over with a cup of tea that he made for Kyle.

"Thanks Ryder, you're the best." Kyle said, giving his brother a weak smile.

"No problem. It should help you feel better." Ryder said, pulling up another bean bag to sit on.

"Kyle?" The boy in question looked up to meet his brother's gaze. "Why didn't you tell me?" Ryder and the pups waited anxiously for his answer, but Kyle felt slightly uncomfortable being put on the spot.

"I-I don't know. I know you and the pups are always busy around town, so I just thought it wasn't that important." Kyle admitted, Ryder looking at him with shock.

"But you're family, and I put family first." Ryder said, putting his hand on Kyle's shoulder.

"Yeah, I know. You've always been like that." Kyle said, smiling. He tried to shift a little in his seat only to let out a help of pain. "Okay, okay! That hurt..." Kyle groaned.

"Are you alright?" Chase asked.

"I'm just sore, I'll be fine soon." Kyle responded. Kyle took another sip of his tea before Ryder asked him another question.

"How long has he been doing this to you?" He asked.

"...2 years." Kyle said hesitantly, Ryder's eyes widening with horror.

"2 years?! You've hid that from us for two years?" Ryder exclaimed in shock, Kyle nodding slowly.

"Do you know why he does it?" Chase asked him, Kyle starting to feel his anger rising.

"Oh, I know exactly why he does it. He says it every time." Kyle said, Ryder and the pups able to hear the toxicity in his tone. "He always tells me, 'Why can't you be like your brother? He's out there saving the town, and you're doing what?' He always calls me a disappointment, a disgrace, and it hurts." Kyle's face went from one of anger to one of sadness. "And I think I'm starting to believe it." Kyle admitted.

"Kyle, that's definitely not true-" Ryder said before being cut off.

"I know it might not, but you're not in my position. Everyone in our family are geniuses EXCEPT for me. I'm just the average one, and I hate it. I don't know why I can't be a genius like you, or Dad. There has to be something wrong with me..." Kyle looked into the cup of tea in his hands, not able to look at anyone. He has held his emotions inside for so long that he couldn't take it any more. He let out a couple of tears roll down his cheeks, only to quickly wipe them up and groan in annoyance. "I...just don't know what to think anymore." Kyle said, trying to hold back his tears.

"Kyle..." Ryder began, sitting up from his spot on his own beanbag and kneeling in front of Kyle. "...just because you're not like Dad or me doesn't make you a disappointment, okay? You have other talents that we don't have. You can sing, I can't, my pups can definitely verify that." Ryder and the pups laughed, causing a small, sad smile to form on Kyle's face. "You're a great songwriter. Remember when we were younger you would write little nursery rhymes and sing them to me?" Ryder brought up those memories, those special ones that Kyle definitely cherished.

"Yeah, I do." Kyle smiled. "I'd get my little acoustic guitar and I'd just strum away and sing to you."

"See? You might not have the same IQs as me and Dad, but you definitely have more musical talent than both of us combined." Ryder said with a smile.

"Yeah, I guess I do." Kyle said, realization finally hitting him. "I just wish Dad could see it that way, though."

"I never thought dad would do that to you. I've never seen him do that before." Ryder realized, thinking back to all the times he's been with his father.

"Well, he never acts like that around you because he doesn't need to. You're, and I quote, 'His true son'. Me, on the other hand, is a different story obviously. I tried standing up to him today and that's when he messed up my wrist." Kyle looked down at his bandaged wrist with those horrible memories appearing in his mind.

"What wewe you fighting about?" Zuma asked curiously, Ryder looking curious as well as the other pups.

"Well, I got a B+ on a test, a 92. I was one point off from an A and he just went ballistic." Kyle said, shaking his head in disappointment.

"A B+? That's not bad at all!" Skye exclaimed, shocked by Kyle's father's reaction.

"And aren't you in all honors classes there?" Ryder asked.

"Actually, that was my AP History class I got that grade in." Kyle said, Ryder even more shocked than before.

"That just doesn't make sense. I can't believe Dad would do this to you, Kyle." Ryder said, the distaste for his father growing.

"How did you handle all this, Kyle?" Chase asked, getting up from his sitting position and walking up in front of Kyle. "It seems like you've been through a lot."

"I don't know, I just knew I had to stay strong for Ryder. I've always stood up for him when we were younger. Remember Ryder? Those kids were making fun of you and messing with that automated Solar System you made."

"And you picked them both up by their shirts. You scared the daylights out of them." Ryder said, smiling.

"So, I've always been the one that protected him, I guess I just didn't want to show him that I was weak." He explained, looking back to Chase.

"Well, you're the strongest person I know, especially for dealing with that." Chase said, a small smile on his muzzle.

"Thanks, Chase. I appreciate that, really." Kyle ruffled the fur on Chase's head, the German Shepherd letting out a playful bark.

"Uh, Kyle. What are you going to do now?" Rubble asked.

"Yeah, you can't possibly want to go back home." Rocky added.

"I'm not sure, but I don't exactly have any other place to go." Kyle said, thinking about his inevitable return home.

"You can stay here!" Marshall exclaimed, tail wagging full force.

"Yeah, that's not a bad idea, Marshall!" Skye said, yelping happily.

"Oh, I couldn't do that. I would just get in the way." Kyle said, unsure about the plan.

"Kyle, you won't be. I'm sure of it." Ryder assured his brother. "I'm not going to let you go back home just for Dad to do that again to you."

"Ryder, I-" Kyle began to say, only to be cut off.

"Kyle, please. You've protected me basically all my life, let me return the favor. I can't stand you being hurt like this." Ryder said, pleading Kyle just to stay.

"You're absolutely sure that it will be fine, Ryder?" Kyle asked, Ryder nodding. "I guess it would probably be for the best if I stayed." He finally allowed himself to stay, all of the pups barking happily.

"What about my stuff? Dad said if he saw me again he'd beat me again." Kyle said, his expression dropping once more.

"I'll go get your stuff for you, don't worry. I kinda want to have a talk with him anyway." Ryder said, his voice stern when he said the second sentence.

"I'll go too, I wanna give him a piece of my mind." Chase stated, looking like his blood was boiling. Chase was one of the first pups on the Paw Patrol, and Kyle had been there since day one helping Ryder. So Chase knew Kyle the most out of all the pups, and he was going to protect him like he protected Ryder.

"Uh, Chase. You don't need to." Ryder stated, confused on why the German Shepherd pup wanted to tag along.

"I want to, Ryder. Just let me go...please." Chase pleaded, using puppy dog eyes to seal the deal.

"Alright, Chase, you can come. Me and Chase will get your stuff, Kyle. We'll be back in a little bit." Ryder announced.

"Thanks, little bro. Thanks Chase." Kyle smiled at the two of them. They said their farewells before leaving to grab their assigned vehicles to head out. Kyle was left with the Marshall, Rubble, Rocky, Zuma, and Skye, and Kyle felt save and sound for the first time in a while.

 **...**

 **~Well, here's my first Paw Patrol story. Originally, this was going to be a one shot, but I kinda left the end as if I could continue it as well. What do you guys think? Should I continue?**


	2. Chapter 2

**[Rated T for Some Strong Language]**

Two vehicles raced down the street, one an ATV, the other a small police cruiser. Ryder and Chase were heading to Ryder's home to get his brother's things, as well as talk to his father on the whole situation. Chase was following behind Ryder, since he knew the way to get there. The whole drive there, Chase had a million questions running through his mind. He couldn't wrap his head around this whole situation. For all the time Chase has known Kyle, the teen never did anything to deserve that kind of treatment, especially from his own father. That's what really rubbed Chase the wrong way, the fact that his own father treated him like that. Chase felt his anger start building up once more, but he knew he had to control it.

"My house is coming up to the left, Chase!" Ryder said over the radio that allowed them to communicate during missions.

"Roger that, Ryder." Chase responded, putting his focus on the task at hand. The two drove down the street until they reached Ryder's home, parking their vehicles in the driveway. Chase hopped out of his cruiser, straightening his police cap after he landed. Ryder dismounted from his multipurpose ATV, removing the helmet he had on his head and placing it on the seat. Ryder turned to face the front door of the house, Chase standing next to Ryder.

"Alright, Chase. You ready?" Ryder asked the German Shepherd pup.

"I'm ready." Chase stated, a stern look on his face. The two approached the door, Ryder grabbing the doorknob and twisting it. The door opened with a slight squeak, a voice echoing throughout the house.

"I thought I told you to get out of my sight!" Ryder's father yelled in anger. Ryder looked down at Chase, who looked up at him with an angry expression.

"Dad? It's Ryder!" Ryder decided to yell back, his father's voice almost responded immediately.

"Oops, sorry Ryder. I thought you were someone else." His father quickly said, walking into the living room from the kitchen.

'I think I know who that someone else was' Chase thought to himself, glaring at the man that stood in front of him.

"I see you brought Chase along too. What did you boys need?" His father said, happiness in his voice. Hearing Ryder's father's tone change like that made Chase sick to his stomach.

"Yeah. So, Kyle came by the Lookout earlier today." Ryder started looking at his father for any signs of change in his emotions, but his face didn't change.

"Did he?" His father asked, mock enthusiasm in his voice.

"He was covered with bruises and cuts. Have any idea where he got them?" Ryder asked sternly, crossing his arms.

"How should I know? As far as I know he doesn't play any contact sports or any thing of the sort." His father said, his face starting to show a small hint of anger.

"We know you're beating Kyle!" Chase straight up blurted out, Ryder's father taken back by this statement.

"That's an absurd conclusion to make, don't you think." He said, glaring at the pup.

"Dad, I know it's true. Kyle told me." Ryder told him.

"That little shit..." he muttered, just out of earshot for Ryder, but Chase heard it perfectly fine.

"What did you call him?" Chase asked, his voice filled with anger.

"What? Oh, you mean that sad excuse of a son?" Ryder's father said, a menacing glare on his face. "I honestly don't know why you're defending him, Ryder. He's a lost cause, he doesn't seem to want to learn anything. He's a hindrance to us, don't you see?" His father said, voice rising in volume.

"Dad, how could you say that about him?" Ryder asked in disbelief at his father's words.

"If he was my child he would be an intelligent, well-mannered one. Not some illiterate screw-up. He didn't even have enough guts to come here to get his own things, as I'm guessing that's why you're here in the first place." His father had a bone-chilling grin on his face. "Well, you won't need to get his things anymore. They're just a pile of ash in the back." He finished, his voice sounding purely sinister. Chase had enough of what he was hearing, his anger well over the tipping point. Chase growled and ran straight towards Ryder's father jumping and biting down hard on one of his legs. He bit down so hard that he could have drawn blood if he had thinner pants.

"Ow! You stupid mutt!" Ryder's father yelled, kicking the pup off of his leg, resulting in Chase being flung into the wall, a yelp coming from the poor pup.

"Chase!" Ryder said, rushing to his aid.

"Owowow!" Chase yelped, holding his right front paw.

"What's wrong?" Ryder asked frantically.

"My paw, it hurts really bad" Chase said.

"Oh no, we gotta get Marshall here, fast!" Ryder said, pulling out his Paw-Pad.

"That's what he gets for biting me, stupid dog. I never liked any of those pups anyway." His father muttered, but Ryder was just focused on getting Chase help.

 **...**

Kyle watched in amusement as Rubble and Skye were playing Pup Pup Boogie, both of them trying really hard to beat the other. They both were very consistent, but Skye was just ahead of Rubble in terms of points.

"C'mon Skye! You got this!" Rocky cheered her on, barking in excitement.

"Wubble! You can beat her!" Zuma exclaimed, his tail wagging.

"Who are you rooting for, Kyle?" Marshall asked the teen, who was still sitting in the same beanbag chair as he was before.

"Hm. I think Rubble's got a chance to win this, I gotta be honest." Kyle said, looking at the screen to see that Rubble was catching up. Before the game could finish, however, Marshall's pup tag started blinking.

'Marshall! You there?' Ryder's voice emitted from the tag.

"Right here, Ryder. What's up?" Marshall responded.

'I need some medical assistance for Chase down here.' Ryder explained, Kyle's eyes widening in fear.

"What happened?" Marshall asked, the other pups stopping their game and listening to the call.

'Chase ended up biting my dad's leg and he threw him into the wall' Ryder explained, Kyle's anger building up.

"Uh oh, I'll be there soon, Ryder! Don't worry!" Marshall said, jumping up from his seated position.

"Chase needs our help?" Skye asked.

"Yeah, we have to hurry." Marshall said, running towards the elevator. The other pups soon followed, which left Kyle alone to stew with his emotions. His anger started taking over, adrenaline pumping through his veins. His pain completely forgotten, he stood up from the bean bag and headed towards the front doors of the Lookout. He bursted through the doors, almost all of the pups were already in their vehicles and were already heading out. Rocky was the last one to leave, and Kyle had just caught him before he left.

"Rocky! I'm going with. Let me catch a ride." Kyle said to the pup, who looked at him with uncertainty.

"Uh, I don't exactly have enough room-"

"I'll just hang off the side, it's fine. Let's go!" Kyle urged, his anger evidently showing. Rocky could tell that he was angry, and he wasn't about to argue with him, so he just floored it with Kyle hanging off the side of his truck.

As Rocky and the rest of the Paw Patrol neared Ryder and Kyle's home, Kyle felt his anger bubbling up inside him. Kyle could see Ryder's and Chase's vehicles in front of his house, and Ryder and Chase themselves in the front yard as well. Chase was lying on the grass, Ryder next to him speaking to him. I could see my giant dick of a father standing in the front door, admiring the damage he'd done. Kyle clenched his teeth, his anger over the tipping point. Once they all reached the house, Kyle immediately hopped off Rocky's truck and went to Ryder and Chase.

"Chase, are you okay?" Kyle asked, genuine worry in his voice.

"I think I sprained my paw, but I'll be fine." Chase said, trying to move his injured paw a little, only to yelp in pain.

"It's not broken, so it could've been a lot worse." Ryder explained further. The rest of the team ran up to Chase, a bombardment of 'Are you okay?'s and 'What happened?'s coming from all the pups. Marshall went up to Chase and began working. Kyle looked up at the front door, only to see his father looking at him straight in the eyes with an evil smile on his face. Kyle immediately got up and stormed towards the man in the door, the pups and Ryder watching him with a look of confusion. Kyle balled his fists as he approached his father, who just smirked at him. When Kyle got to him, without warning, Kyle swung his fist at his father, releasing a loud grunt as his fist connected with his father's jaw. His father stumbled backwards, holding his jaw where his fist had connected. The PAW Patrol looked on in shock as the event unfolded. Kyle and Ryder's father regained his footing, staring at his oldest son with shock.

"Well well, it seems that the failure has returned. I thought I told you if I saw you again I'll beat the shit out of you again." His father said, a smirk across his face.

"Then do it, fight me! It's better that you fight me than to hurt little pups that are a third of your size!" Kyle yelled at him, his father only chuckling at him.

"Alright if you insist!" His father said, throwing a punch at Kyle. The adrenaline that coursed through his veins enabled him to block the punch with ease, throwing another one at his father. His second punch hit his father right in the stomach, causing him to double over in pain. Kyle took this moment to grab his father by the head and knee him right in the face. His father fell to the ground, blood running from his nose. He looked up at Kyle with shock, clearly not expecting him to be that strong. Ryder and the pups were completely shocked as well, none of them have seen Kyle that angry before.

"Listen, you can beat the hell out of me all you want, I don't care! But, if you lay ONE hand on Ryder or any of the pups, there will be hell to raise." Kyle threatened his father, who actually looked afraid. "Now, I'm gonna turn around and help Chase. If I turn around and you're still there, it's gonna get a whole lot worse for you. Got it?" Kyle said, his father only nodding and staying silent. Kyle just glared at him before turning around, walking over to help Chase and the pups. Once Kyle heard the front door slam shut behind him, he let out a sigh. Kyle looked at the group that was gathered on the lawn, only to be met with a bunch of surprised expressions.

"Oh...uh...hey?" Kyle said, laughing nervously.

"How did you do that?" Chase asked, his paw now wrapped up with a bandage.

"I don't know, adrenaline I guess." Kyle shrugged. "Anyway, did you guys get my stuff?" Ryder and Chase looked at each other with a worried expression.

"Yeah...about that." Chase started, looking away from Kyle.

"Dad ended up...burning everything in your room." Ryder finally said, an audible gasp coming from Marshall, Rocky, Zuma, Rumble, and Skye. A look of pure devastation was on Kyle's face.

"W-what? No..." Kyle was completely flabbergasted. He looked towards the house, his anger starting to rise up again. He was about to go back in there to confront his father when Ryder stopped him.

"Kyle, don't go back in. You already made your point." His younger brother said. Kyle looked at Ryder and then back to the house, letting out an angered sigh.

"Everything's gone...my guitar, all of my songs I've written over the years, all turned to ash." Kyle said, realization hitting him hard. Kyle just sat on the ground and put hugged his knees.

"Kyle? It's alright. You've written a bunch of songs, you can write more!" Rubble said, attempting to cheer him up.

"No, you don't understand. I kept all the songs I've written in a box under my bed. Those songs were about certain things that happened in my life, ones that I can't replicate even if I tried...and now their gone." Kyle said, his eyes tearing up a bit. He's lost just about everything, his home, his belongings, his songs, he could barely take it all anymore. All that's happened in that short day, all of that trauma, it opened the floodgates. Kyle just let the tears cascade down his cheeks, something he hasn't done in a very long time. Ryder and the pups never saw Kyle break down like this, it hurt all of them to see him like this.

"Kyle..." Rocky started, reaching out one of his paws towards him, which only resulted in Kyle's silent crying turning into quiet sobs. All of the pup's ears lowered, Rubble and Skye even letting out whimpers. Ryder scooted over to his brother and hugged him tightly, Kyle almost immediately returning it. Ryder couldn't fathom what pain he was going through right now. Kyle had always been the strong one, the person that was never phased by anything, the protector of him and his pups. To see him break down this hard, it was tough to take it in.

"Everything's gone...everything..." Kyle choked out between sobs.

"That's not true, Kyle. You have me, and the pups." Ryder said, Kyle's sobs slowing down.

"I know," Kyle started, breaking the embrace. "I just wish things were different." Ryder sighed as soon as he heard him say this.

"You didn't deserve this, Kyle." Ryder told him, and Kyle nodded. Kyle looked at the pups, who all looked at him with lowered ears and sorrowful expression. He sighed an annoyed sigh and wiped his tears away.

"This is why I don't show my emotions, I look like the weak one now." Kyle said, seeming to have regained his composure pretty quickly. Chase limped up to Kyle, his paw still hurting a little.

"Kyle, you are far from weak. Keeping your emotions bottled up isn't healthy. So showing them is normal. Trust me, I used to be the same way." Chase assured him, a small smile on his face. Kyle just laughed softly and gave the pup a sad smile.

"Yeah, to go through all this, you have to be the strongest person ever!" Skye said, yipping happily.

"You're stronger than Apollo the Super-Pup!" Rubble stated, earning a shocked gasp from the other pups.

"Okay, that definitely means something. Rubble once had a two hour debate with me on why Apollo was the strongest superhero ever, and to hear him say that you're stronger! That's unheard of!" Rocky said, his tail wagging with excitement. The group all laughed, Kyle included. After they all finished laughing, Kyle let out an exhausted yawn. Ryder laughed and looked at his pups.

"Alright, I think we've all deserved a well needed rest. Let's get back to the lookout." Ryder said, causing all of the pups to go to their respective vehicles. Kyle noticed that Chase was having some trouble getting to his cruiser, so Kyle got up and picked up the German Shepherd and walked him over to his vehicle.

"Heheh, thanks Kyle." Chase said, slightly embarrassed that he had to be carried.

"No problem, Chase." Kyle smiled as he placed Chase in the seat of his cruiser. Kyle went over to Ryder, who was already ready to go. Kyle sat behind Ryder on his ATV, nodding to Ryder to let him know he was good to go. With that, the group all returned back to the Lookout after that long day.

 **...**

 **~Hey! Here's Chapter 2 of the story! If the characters seem a little OOC, it's because I'm not used to writing with them yet. Please let me know how I'm doing, I'm always looking for feedback!**


	3. Chapter 3

"Ow, ow...god, I feel like I got hit by a truck." Kyle groaned, standing up from the spot he slept through the night. He looked back at the beanbag chair, which he was calling his bed for the time being, and wondered how he only woke up once during the night to use the bathroom. Ryder had offered him to let him sleep in his room, but Kyle refused. Kyle said to Ryder that he needed to be well rested more than him, since he needed to be alert for calls around the Bay. Ryder kept insisting that it would be fine, but Kyle stood his ground. Eventually, Ryder realized that he couldn't change Kyle's mind, and ended up letting him sleep on the beanbag chair despite not wanting him to. Kyle was starting to reconsider his choice a bit, but soon realized that he'd rather have himself feel like this than Ryder. The 10-year-old had a lot more responsibilities to maintain, and Kyle wasn't sure what to do with himself at this point. He didn't have to go to school yet, since it was a Saturday, so he had a little time to figure out what to do with that whole situation. He'd lost his backpack in the fire as well, so all of his books and assignments were gone too. He didn't know how to explain that to his teachers, but he had time to plan what he will say.

Wanting to clear his mind from all of his thoughts, Kyle decided that some fresh air would be the best thing for him. He reached up in the air in an attempt to stretch out his back, which resulted in his back making a loud cracking sound. Kyle let out a sigh of relief, his back feeling much better. Kyle headed towards the main doors of the Lookout to head out into the fresh air. Once outside, he looked off towards the bridge that connected the Lookout to the rest of Adventure Bay, the sun just barely rising over the horizon line.

"It must be pretty early, the sun's just rising." Kyle said to himself, walking towards the closest puphouse to him, which happened to be Zuma's. Kyle peeked inside to see the chocolate Lab still sleeping soundly inside. Kyle just smiled and quietly. He checked on Rocky, Rubble, Marshall, Chase, and Skye, who were all sound asleep and snoring. After making his way around the Lookout, he made it back to the front doors. He sat down in front of the doors, but far enough so he couldn't trigger them. Realizing that everyone was asleep, and probably wouldn't be up for a while, he took the opportunity to practice singing a little. He pulled out his phone and opened up the music streaming app he had, clicking on the Top Hits section. The first song that started playing was Paris by The Chainsmokers. He kept the music down lower so he could hear his own voice, but loud enough that he could hear the lyrics. He started bobbing his head to the beat, preparing himself before singing.

 _"We were staying in Paris, To get away from your parents, And I thought "Wow, if I could take this in a shot right now, I don't think that we could work this out"_

 _Out on the terrace, I don't know if it's fair but I thought "How could I let you fall by yourself While I'm wasted for someone else"_

 _If we go down then we go down together, They'll say you could do anything, They'll say that I was clever. If we go down then we go down together, We'll get away with everything, Let's show them we are better. Let's show them we are better. Let's show them we are better"_

Skye's eyes fluttered open, the soft sound of music pulling her from her state of slumber. She stood up groggily, stretching her stiff muscles. When she poked her head out of her puphouse, she heard the music better.

'Is someone singing?' Skye thought to herself, hopping out and following the music. She started bobbing her head to the beat, a voice beginning to become more clear.

 _"We were staying in Paris_

 _To get away from your parents_

 _You look so proud standing there with the flower and the cigarette_

 _Posting pictures of yourself on the internet,"_

Skye immediately recognized the song, but it didn't sound like how the original did. It sounded better than the original, in her opinion. She never heard this version before. She made her way around the bend that led to the front doors, only to stop and stare at the source of the music. Skye saw Kyle sitting there, eyes closed, singing along to the song that was being played. It took all of her strength not to start yipping and backflipping in happiness and excitement, she didn't want to interrupt him. Quietly, she went to the closest puphouse, which was Zuma's once again. Skye excitedly went in and started tapping the pup on the shoulder.

"Wha-? Huh?" Zuma groaned, not seeming to like his rude awakening.

"Zuma, shh! Listen." Skye whispered, the backing up out of Zuma's puphouse. Zuma emerged shortly after, squinting his eyes at the bright sunlight.

"Is that music?" Zuma asked curiously, Skye's tail wagging with excitement.

"Come look." She said quietly, gesturing for the Chocolate Lab to follow. Zuma was brought to the same sight Skye saw a moment ago, Zuma's reaction equally as surprised and excited as Skye's.

"Wow, he sounds great." Zuma whispered, not wanting to startle Kyle.

"Go get the others, they need to hear this." Skye told Zuma, who quietly did what she asked, fetching the other pups from their respective puphouses. Skye sat and continued to listen to Kyle sing, swaying a little to the beat. After a minute, the rest of the pups were gathered around Skye, listening to Kyle sing. When they were brought there, they were groggy and confused. Now, they were wide awake and giddy.

 _"If we go down then we go down together, They'll say you could do anything, They'll say that I was clever. If we go down then we go down together, We'll get away with everything, Let's show them we are better._

 _Let's show them we are, Show them we are, Let's show them we are, Show them we are, Let's show them we are better. We were staying in Paris, Let's show them we are better, Let's show them we are, Show them we are, Let's show them we are, Show them we are, Let's show them we are better._

 _If we go down then we go down together, They'll say you could do anything ,They'll say that I was clever. If we go down then we go down together, We'll get away with everything, Let's show them we are better._

 _We were staying in Paris, We were staying in Paris, We were staying in Paris, We were staying in Paris. Let's show them we are better. We were staying in Paris._

 _Let's show them we are better. Let's show them we are better. If we go down, Let's show them we are better. If we go down, Let's show them we are better. If we go down, Let's show them we are better. Let's show them we are better."_

Kyle finished the song, pleased on how well he sounded that time. He opened his eyes to grab his phone when he saw the group of pups watching him, who started cheering and applauding.

"Oh, I didn't know I had an audience. I didn't wake you up, did I?" Kyle asked, a look of concern on his face.

"Well, you woke me up. I just thought everyone else needed to listen too!" Skye said, barking happily.

"It was a great wake up call though!" Rubble said, a large smile on his face.

"Yeah, you're really good, Kyle!" Rocky exclaimed, excitement in his voice.

"Aw, thanks guys. You're too kind." Kyle thanked them for their massive amounts of praise. Kyle heard the automatic doors open behind him, which caused him to turn and look who had opened them. Ryder walked out, still in his pajamas, and letting out a long yawn.

"Hey Kyle, hey pups, what's everyone doing up so early?" Ryder asked.

"Ryder, you missed the concert!" Skye exclaimed happily, yipping and backflipping.

"Concert, huh?" Ryder smirked at his brother, who shrugged.

"When I started, everyone was asleep. When I was done I seemed to draw a crowd." Kyle said, laughing.

"You should've heawd him, Wyder! He was awesome!" Zuma said, jumping up and down.

"You know, I haven't heard you sing in a while, Kyle. You should show me sometime." Ryder said.

"Sure, but first..." Kyle trailed off, leaving Ryder to be puzzled. Before Ryder could react, Kyle got him into a head lock and started giving him a noogie.

"Hey! Kyle!" Ryder laughed, feeling his hair getting ruffled around. Kyle laughed along with him, quickly letting his younger brother go.

"What? This was the one time I saw you without 10 pounds of hair gel in your hair, I had to." Kyle gave Ryder a sly smirk, the pups laughing.

"Hey! I only use 8 pounds!" Ryder joked, causing Kyle to chuckle.

"Alright, everyone. I'm going to get breakfast ready. Come on." Ryder said to the pups, who all ran inside the Lookout at the mention of food. All of them except for Chase, who was trying to catch up to the rest of the pups, only to accidentally put some weight on his injured paw, causing a whimper to escape his muzzle. Kyle immediately picked up the pup, much to Chase's dismay.

"Kyle, I'm okay! I'm not a baby, I can take care of myself." Chase said, embarrassed that Kyle had to carry him around everywhere.

"I know Chase, but I just want you to heal up fast so you're able to go on missions. Besides, it's kinda my fault you got hurt." Kyle stated, causing Chase's head to snap up and look at Kyle with a shocked expression.

"Kyle, you can't possibly be blaming yourself for what I did." Chase said, disbelief in his voice.

"I know, I just-" Kyle started to say, only to be cut off.

"Alright pups! Breakfast is served!" Ryder yelled, placing down each of the pups' bowls.

"Never mind, I'll tell you later. Let's get some food first." Kyle said, half serious, half not wanting to talk about this topic at the moment. Chase was about to protest when Kyle put him down in front of his bowl, walking over to help Ryder make breakfast for the two of them. Chase just looked at Kyle with concern.

'Why is he so hard on himself?' Chase thought to himself.

* * *

"Alright, Chase. Since you're hurt, we'll just have another pup take over your cruiser. I want you to stay here with Kyle." Ryder told the German Shepherd pup, who was lying down on one of the bean bag chairs.

"Who?" Chase asked curiously.

"Rubble volunteered, actually. He said that since you drove his digger, he should drive your cruiser." Ryder explained.

"Oh...okay." Chase said, disappointed that he couldn't be ready for duty. Kyle walked into the relaxing area from outside, coming up to the pair.

"Hey, what're you guys up to?" He asked.

"I was just telling Chase about what that plan was about his injury." Ryder explained, and Kyle nodded.

"Ah, so he's staying here I'm guessing." Kyle concluded.

"Yep, but it's for the best, Chase. You know that, right?" Ryder asked him.

"I know." Chase said, although he wasn't happy about it.

"Alright, I'm going to let the other pups know the plan." Ryder said, standing up. "Did you see where they were?"

"They're outside playing around with a soccer ball, last time I checked." Kyle told Ryder, who nodded and headed outside. This just left Kyle and Chase in the Lookout. Kyle kneeled down to be eye level with Chase.

"Hey, how're you doing?" Kyle asked the pup.

"I'm fine Kyle, the better question is how you're doing." Chase said back, a worried expression on his face.

"Me? I'm fine, Chase. What makes you think I'm not?" Kyle asked, puzzled by the fact that Chase would think such a thing.

"You keep trying to take the blame for _me_ injuring _myself_." Chase said like it was obvious.

"I mean, you didn't injure yourself. My dad kinda did." Kyle paused. "You really bit him?"

"Yeah, but I'm not proud of it. My anger got really out of control." Chase said, his ears lowering slightly at the memory.

"I know how you feel." Kyle said, the memory of him beating the absolute crap out of his dad coming to mind. "When I heard that my dad hurt you, I just...snapped. I never knew that I could be that strong." Kyle said, sitting on the floor in front of the beanbag Chase was on.

"Why did you snap like that? I've never seen you that angry about anything before." Chase asked. Kyle had to sit and think for a minute, trying to figure out how to explain it.

"Do you remember how Ryder first found you? You might have been too young to remember." Kyle asked the pup, who shook his head.

"No, but Ryder told me he found me out on the street." Chase said, confused on why Kyle decided to bring it up.

"Alright, I guess it's storytime." Kyle said, smiling.

* * *

 _One Year Ago..._

 _"So, how was school today, Ryder?" Kyle asked his younger brother, who shrugged._

 _"Same stuff." Ryder said, shrugging._

 _"Still managing that A+ average?"_

 _"Yep! How was school for you?" Ryder asked Kyle, looking up at him._

 _"They're just preparing us for high school, teaching us stuff that we need to know." Kyle explained, Ryder nodding in understanding._

 _"You still managing an A+ average?" Ryder asked, Kyle tensing up a little._

 _"O-oh, yeah. You bet." Kyle gave a fake smile to his brother, rubbing a bruise on his right arm that was hidden under his long sleeve shirt. The pair walked down the street, passing up various shops on their route home. While passing by an alleyway, Ryder stopped walking all of a sudden. Kyle looked back at him in confusion._

 _"Ryder? What's up?" Kyle asked his brother, a puzzled expression on his face._

 _"Listen." Ryder said, Kyle staying completely silent as he tried to hear what Ryder had. There was a soft sound coming from the alleyway. It was barely within their earshot, but it sounded like..._

 _"Whimpering?" Kyle concluded aloud, Ryder nodding in agreement. The two backtracked towards the alleyway, following the soft whimpering that was emitting from somewhere within. Kyle started rummaging between a couple of garage cans, trying to find who/what was making that sound. Ryder was searching between some old cases and a dumpster, hearing the whimpers getting louder and closer. Ryder lifted up the lid to the dumpster, the whimpering becoming clearer in volume. Ryder peered inside to see a small pup, a German Shepherd to be exact, laying amongst the garbage. The pup was shaking furiously, a his ears flat against its head in fear. Once the pup noticed Ryder's presence, he yelped and buried his head under his paws._

 _"Kyle! I found who was making that noise!" Ryder called to his brother, who rushed over to his side. Kyle peered into the dumpster and saw the poor little pup lying in the filthy garbage, head down and shaking._

 _"Oh no, how'd you think he got in here?" Kyle asked._

 _"Looks like someone abandoned him." Ryder reached out towards the pup, who only whimpered and backed away from the then-9-year-old's hand. Kyle and Ryder frowned, Ryder retracting his hand away from the pup._

 _"Hey, hey. Don't worry, we're not gonna hurt you." Kyle said gently, the pup looking up at his face to be met with a kind smile. "Do you have an owner?" Kyle asked the pup, who nervously shook his head no._

 _"We can take you back to our home, we got food, we can clean you up, and anything else you need." Kyle explained to the poor pup. The pup's tail started wagging a little, making the pair of brothers smile._

 _"I even have a friend who can make really great doggie treats, they're amazing." Ryder said, trying to gain the little pup's trust even more. The pup's ears perked up, he stood up on all four paws, and started panting with excitement._

 _"Aw, that's so cute." Kyle said, smiling down at the german shepherd pup. Kyle reached out his arms to the pup, so he and Ryder could take him home and feed and clean him up._

 _"Please, come with us. We wanna-" Kyle didn't even need to finish his sentence, the pup literally jumping straight into his arms, licking his face in happiness and excitement._

 _"Hahaha, it tickles!" Kyle laughed, causing Ryder to laugh along as well. The pup stopped licking his face and barked happily, making Kyle smile._

 _"I guess he likes you more, Kyle." Ryder said, chuckling a little._

 _"I guess he does. Cmon, let's hurry and get this pup some food." Kyle said, holding the pup securely in his arms. The two walked out of the alleyway and continued their route home, this time with a new companion. As the three were walking home, Ryder decided to ask the pup a question._

 _"Do you have a name?" He asked the pup, who shook his head in response. "No name, huh?" Ryder started thinking for a moment, probably of a name. Kyle started thinking as well, almost instantly coming up with a name that was perfect._

 _"How about Chase?" Kyle put his idea out in the open, causing Ryder to break from his thoughts._

 _"Chase...that's a pretty good name. How did you come up with that?" Ryder asked his brother._

 _"I mean, he's a German Shepherd. Police dogs are usually German Shepherds, and they 'chase' criminals. That's how I came up with it anyway." Kyle looked down at the pup he was holding in his hands. "You like that name?" Kyle asked the pup, who barked happily and licked his face once more._

 _"Alright, Chase it is then." Kyle said, smiling down at Chase, who wrapped his paws around Kyle's neck and hugged him. This moment was so cute, it even caused Kyle to tear up a small bit._

 _'He's so precious.' Kyle thought to himself, smiling. 'I can't let anything happen to this little guy.'_

* * *

"And from that day forward, I promised myself that I would keep you safe, and the same went for every new pup Ryder got when he started the Paw Patrol." Kyle explained. He lowered his head in disappointment with himself. "I know that you and the pups go out on missions and get hurt, it comes with the consequences of being rescue pups. But if I'm there and able to prevent it, and one of you gets hurt, I feel like I'm failing you guys." Kyle tried to hold in his feelings as best he could. "I could've prevented you from getting hurt by just going to get my stuff myself and facing my dad on my own." Kyle looked back up at Chase. "I'm sorry."

Chase didn't know what to say, it was a lot to take in. That him and Ryder found him abandoned in a dumpster, that Kyle was the one that named him, it made his head spin. He quickly regained his focus, looking at the teen with a look of sympathy.

"Kyle, please, don't be sorry. I just couldn't sit there and listen to your own father say those awful things about you. I had to do something, and the first thing I thought was to bite him." Chase stood up on the bean bag chair on his three good paws, carefully sliding down the side to reach the floor, also being mindful of his injured paw. Chase sat down in front of Kyle on the floor. "I thought that revenge was the only thing I could've done." Kyle just looked at Chase and gave him a small smile.

"I appreciate that you care about me that much, Chase. My dad definitely got was he was asking for, that's for sure." Kyle said. "I just hate seeing you, Ryder, and the rest of the pups hurt." Chase couldn't help but greatly respect Kyle's strength.

"You really are the strongest person I know, Kyle. I mean it." Chase said, standing up and moving onto Kyle's lap, licking his face. This caused Kyle to laugh a little, petting the German Shepherd pup on his head.

"Thanks Chase." Kyle smiled contently at the pup, who smiled back and laid in his lap, both of them enjoying each other's company.

* * *

 **~Alright! Here's Chapter 3! I've gotten a couple of great reviews, and I really appreciate your kind words. I also got a review that talked about some of the profanities I used. There won't be much of those said, but that is the reason why I rated this story T instead of K or K+. If you prefer not to see profanities used, change your rating preferences to exclude this story or just don't read. I just use profanities sometimes because that's how I am. But anyway, I really hope you guys enjoyed this chapter. Please leave me some feedback, it's always appreciated. Thanks!**


	4. Chapter 4

Ryder stood on the second floor of the Lookout, scanning the area around it for any visible dangers that could be near. The midday sun was shining over him, warming up his skin to the point where he was breaking a sweat just standing there. He wiped the sweat that accumulated on his brow, walking back inside the air-conditioned meeting room of the Lookout. Ryder sighed in relief as soon as he felt the cool air brush over his skin, but his pleasure was short lived as soon as his Pup-Pad starting ringing in his pocket. He quickly pulled out the rectangular device from his pocket, checking to see who needed his help. Mayor Goodway's icon was in the center of the screen, signifying that she was calling. Ryder tapped on the icon, which then revealed the worry-stricken face of the mayor.

"Ryder here." Ryder greeted Mayor Goodway, who was looking nervously at the screen.

"Ryder, I need help!" She exclaimed.

"What's wrong, Mayor Goodway?" Ryder inquired, wondering what kind of emergency could worry the mayor this much.

"Adventure Bay's 150 Year Celebration is tonight, and the musical act that we hired had to cancel!" She explained, her voice sounding more rushed and panicked by the second.

"That's terrible!" Ryder told the mayor with concern.

"Can the Paw Patrol form that little band they did for the talent show?" Mayor Goodway asked, desperately looking at Ryder.

"Sure, Mayor Goodway. No job is too big, no pup is too small!" Ryder exclaimed his usual catchphrase, pulling out the side of his Pup-Pad to reveal the button that alerted all of the pups. He wasted no time pressing the button, shouting into it to call all of the pups.

"PAW Patrol! To the Lookout!" As soon as these words were said, the sound of pups running up to the Lookout and barking were soon heard. Chase and Kyle were still sitting on the first floor of the Lookout on one of the beanbag chairs, Kyle having his phone out so him and Chase could watch some viral videos. As they were in the middle of watching a fail compilation, Chase's Pup Tag started beeping.

'Chase!' Ryder's voice emitted from the pup's collar.

"What is it, Ryder?" Chase asked, slightly confused and concerned by the fact that Ryder called him.

"I'm going to need your and Kyle's help for this emergency." Ryder said, causing Kyle to look at Chase in shock.

"But what about my paw?" Chase asked, wiggling his wrapped up paw a little.

"You won't need to be running around that much, I'll explain it more when the rest of the pups get here." Ryder said, Chase barking in agreement.

"Roger that, Ryder. Come on, Kyle!" Chase said, tail wagging. Kyle laughed at the pup's excitement, him being excited himself as well. Chase got down from the beanbag chair and walked over to the elevator, still being mindful of his sprained paw. Kyle stood up from his own seat, stretching out his back a little before hurrying to the elevator as well. The two waited for about 10 seconds before the automated doors at the front of the Lookout opened, Skye running in towards the elevator. She was quickly followed Zuma, then Rocky, and finally Rubble. Once they were all were inside, they looked at each other in confusion.

"Where's Marshall?" Skye asked, everyone else shrugging and fixing their eyes towards the doors.

"I have a feeling I'm gonna be playing catcher." Kyle laughed, standing in front of the elevator doors and crouched in the catcher's position. "You guys might wanna stand back a little, I have a feeling this is going to be a fastball." Kyle said, causing the rest of the pups to laugh.

"Here I come!" Marshall's voice was heard, the Dalmatian running towards the front doors. As soon as Marshall got through the front doors, he seemed to trip over thin air, tumbling towards the elevator.

"Here comes the pitch!" Kyle said, preparing himself to catch the rolling Dalmatian. Marshall rolled right into Kyle, who was knocked backwards by the momentum. Kyle was flat on his back with Marshall sitting on his stomach, the teen slightly dazed by the impact.

"Strike 3, you're out." Kyle mumbled before laughing a little, which caused the rest of the pups to erupt into fits of laughter.

"Heheh, nice catch Kyle." Marshall laughed, slightly embarrassed. He licked Kyle's face and proceeded to jump off of him, allowing Kyle to stand up. The elevator doors closed and they were being lifted up to the second floor. Kyle only watched in amazement as the pups quickly changed into they're rescue gear in the matter of seconds. They all were geared up and ready to go just as the elevator reached the top, all of the pups jumping out as soon as the doors opened up. Kyle walked out, still in complete and utter shock.

"Okay, if you guys teach me how to get dressed that quick, I'll never be late for anything." Kyle stated, smiling. The pups giggled just as Ryder walked in and stood in front of the giant screen that was located ahead of them.

"PAW Patrol ready for action, Ryder sir!" Chase announced, standing proudly amongst his team.

"Thanks for coming, everyone. But we have a problem." Ryder said. "Adventure Bay's 150 Year Celebration is tonight, but the musical act had to cancel."

"Wait, does that mean we can get the band back together?" Rubble asked, tail wagging in excitement.

"Yeah, you're right Rubble! It does!" Ryder announced excitedly, the pups barking and howling in excitement, Skye doing her signature backflip. "And we're even adding a new member to the band." Ryder looked at Kyle, who just stood in complete shock.

"W-wait...me? Really?" Kyle stuttered, not believing what he was hearing.

"Yes, Kyle, I'm talking about you." Ryder said, chuckling at his brother's bewilderment. "Chase, will you be able to play the drums with one paw?"

"Yep, I still got my drum-playing paw!" Chase said, barking with happiness.

"Alright, then it's settled. The PAW Patrol Band is back in action!" Ryder announced, the pups howling and jumping with absolute joy. Kyle, although being just as excited as the pups, he also had a nagging feeling of nervousness in the back of his head. He'd be singing in front of the entire town, more or less, and the only crowds he performed in front of were the pups and Ryder. The nervous feeling that lingered at the back of his mind slowly started overpowering his excitement, his wide smile slowly turning into a nervous one.

"PAW Patrol is on a roll!" Ryder stated, the pups immediately heading over to the slide, one by one, that brought them down to their respective vehicles. Ryder was about to run over to the fireman's pole to reach his ATV when Kyle got his attention.

"Uh...Ryder?" Kyle hesitated, the 10-year-old turning to face his older brother with curious eyes.

"Yeah?" Ryder asked him, approaching him with slight confusion.

"Are you sure you want me to do this? I mean, I've never sang in front of anybody other than you and the pups. Now I'm going to be singing in front of the whole town. I...I don't know if I can do it." Kyle explained, a look of uncertainty on his features as he looked at Ryder.

"Kyle, I wouldn't have called you if I didn't expect you weren't going to do great." Ryder said, putting his hand on Kyle's shoulder with reassurance. Kyle just looked at Ryder's hand for a moment before turning his attention back to his face, who had a smile that told him that what he said to him was completely genuine. Kyle took a deep breath before smiling back at Ryder.

"I'll do it." Kyle agreed, his confidence slowly starting to rise.

"You'll do great, I promise. Let's go get the Instruments from the garage." Ryder said, running towards the pole. He quickly latched onto it, spinning around it before descending down into the garage. Kyle, although more hesitant then Ryder was, grabbed onto the pole and thought to himself for a moment.

"This is going to burn so bad." Kyle said, wincing at the thought of how raw his hands are going to be afterwards. Without another moment to spare, he wrapped his legs around the pole, allowing himself to slide down towards the garage to meet up with Ryder.

* * *

After about 10 minutes of setting up all of the instruments, the pups along with Kyle were all set up in the front lawn of the Lookout, ready to practice. They all were sitting around, thinking about what they would be playing at the celebration later that night.

"Maybe we can sing the same song we did last time?" Zuma suggested, the others shaking their heads and disagreeing with the idea.

"Probably not. Wouldn't it be kind of weird to have Kyle be up there singing about being a pup?" Skye contradicted, causing the whole group to erupt in laughter.

"Yeah, that would be kinda weird, that's for sure." Kyle chuckled.

"Should we write a new one?" Rubble asked, this time Chase shutting the idea down.

"We don't really have a lot of time to write a whole new song...and memorize the words...and make a new beat..." Chase rambled.

"I think we got it, Chase." Rocky said, causing the German Shepherd pup to smile in slight embarrassment.

"Heh, sorry." Chase apologized, the slightest shade of pink over his cheeks.

"So what do we do?" Marshall asked, all of their options not seeming to work. Kyle suddenly had an idea in his mind, his eyes slightly widening with realization.

"We can do a cover, all we have to do is memorize the words and how to play it on your instruments." Kyle suggested, the pups pondering over the newly formed idea for a bit.

"That sounds like a pretty good idea, Kyle!" Skye exclaimed.

"Yeah, but what song should we do?" Kyle asked aloud, the other pups back to thinking like they were before.

"We have three singers now, so what song could we do that we can fit that many singers?" Chase inquired, everyone else completely stumped with that being said. All of them except for Rocky, who's ears perked up and tail started to wag as if he'd solved the biggest mystery of them all.

"I got it! Kyle, do you know the band Panic! At the Disco?" Rocky asked the teen, and before he could give an answer, the other pups groaned in annoyance.

"Hewe we go again, Wocky's emo phase." Zuma said, rolling his eyes.

"I'm pretty sure you were the only one that listened to them, Rocky." Rubble said, trying to hold in his laughter.

"I know them, still listen to their music, actually." Kyle said, the other pups looking at Kyle with shock. Kyle noticed their expressions and shrugged. "What? It clicked with me at the time. I still like their sound."

"I think Victorious would be a pretty good song to do. I think we could manage to fit three singers on there." Rocky explained his reasoning, Kyle thinking over the song as well.

"He isn't wrong, we can fit three singers on that song. I know most of the words to it too." Kyle said, agreeing with the plan Rocky had proposed.

"I don't know, isn't that song too...sad?" Marshall asked.

"Have you guys even heard the song before?" Kyle asked the rest of the pups, who shook their heads no.

"How do you know it's sad?" Rocky asked them, who couldn't give a straight forward answer.

"Here, let me play the song for you guys. It's not a sad song." Kyle told them, bringing out his phone so he could play it for the group. He already had that specific song in one of his playlists, one that he 'creatively' titled RockSongs. He began listening to a lot more rock music in the past two years, feeling that he had a stronger connection with most of the songs. He figured that he had a certain connection with them because of his...'circumstances', most likely. Once he managed to find the song among the sea of other rock songs, he turned the volume up so the others could hear, and pressed play.

Kyle expected Rocky to bob his head along with the beat of the song, since he was the one to suggest it. What he didn't expect was Skye, Marshall, and Rubble to bob their heads to it as well, especially when the chorus came around. Chase was subconsciously tapping his uninjured paw to the beat, even though he didn't really notice it. Zuma really had no reaction to it at all, actually looking quite annoyed by the song. Kyle continued to let the song play until it finally ended, picking up his phone, turning it off, and putting it back in his pants pocket.

"See? It's not that bad." Rocky said, furthermore proving his point from before.

"Yeah, I think we could do it." Marshall said, agreeing with Kyle and Rocky.

"Everyone else agree?" Kyle asked the rest of the pups, all of them either nodding or exclaiming a 'yes'. When it came to Zuma, he seemed a little hesitant to say yes or no.

"Cmon Zuma, please?" Rocky asked the chocolate Lab, who looked at the Mixed Breed and smiled slightly.

"Alwight, if all you dudes want to do it, I guess I'm okay with it." Zuma agreed, the rest of them letting out cheers of victory.

"Alright, we're doing Victorious then?" Kyle asked the pups.

"Yeah!" They all yelled in unison.

* * *

Kyle stood up on the stage that was set up in the front lawn of City Hall, looking at all of the pups' instruments that were already in place for the show. There were a lot of people that showed up, a lot of people. Kyle turned around from facing the instruments to examine the huge crowd that was formed in front of the stage. Almost everyone in Adventure Bay was there, all gathered around various snack tables and in groups conversing with one another. The longer he watched the crowd, the more evident his nervousness became. As he was watching the crowd, he saw his father approaching him. Kyle was higher up since he was on stage, so he wasn't worried about his father doing anything to him. Upon closer inspection, he noticed that he had a black eye, his nose looking slightly swollen along with his cheek. To say his father looked horrible would be a complete understatement. As his father finally made it to him, he had a look that could make anyone cower in fear. Instead of doing that, Kyle just crossed his arms and stood his ground, knowing that he wouldn't do anything with the large gathering nearby.

"Dad." Kyle said coldly, glaring at his father with anger in his eyes.

"Kyle." His father said simply, his voice sounding just as cold as Kyle's.

"What're you doing here?" Kyle asked, curious on why he was even talking to his 'failure' of a son.

"I was just wondering why a waste of space like yourself is doing on stage." His father retaliated, the 'waste of space' part hitting Kyle in the heart, but he refused to show any other emotions besides anger.

"Oh wow, waste of space. I've never heard that one before." Kyle said sarcastically, rolling his eyes. "And for your information, I'm performing up here tonight. That's why I'm here."

"Oh dear god, we're going to have to prepare for the worst, now won't we?" His dad said, an evil smirk on his face as he turned away from him. As he walked away, Kyle glared daggers at his father. He opened his mouth to shout some profanities at him, but decided that it wouldn't be the best idea to scream swears across the City Hall's lawn. He just grumbled and looked to his left to see Ryder and the pups watching from afar. He took a final glance in the direction his father went before walking over to them, shaking his head and grumbling profanities that were just out of earshot.

"Kyle? What did Dad want?" Ryder asked.

"It wasn't anything good, I can tell you that right now." Kyle said, trying to let his anger simmer down.

"Did he say some mean things to you again?" Rubble asked, his ears lowering.

"It's nothing I haven't heard before. Don't worry about it. We're on in a couple minutes." Kyle said, turning back towards the microphone he'll be using for the performance, adjusting it to his own height. The pups, despite feeling slightly more worried about Kyle and his father, went to their places to make sure their instruments were set up for them correctly. Kyle scanned the crowd, all of the people either talking to other people or not paying attention to the stage. All of them except for his father, who was still staring at him with an unnerving glare. Kyle continued to stare at his father as well, that was until Mayor Goodway's voice was heard over the intercom that was set up all over the stage area.

"If I could have everyone's attention please! The PAW Patrol band will now be performing, please give them a round of applause!" The mayor stated, the crowd quickly gathering around the front of the stage and applauding for the band. Kyle gave a small wave and a smile to the crowd, before turning around and nodding to the rest of the pups to start playing. Once the beat started to pick up, he looked to Marshall and Rubble, who stood on either side of him, nodding to each to start.

Kyle

 **Marshall and Rubble**

 **All 3**

 **Tonight we are victorious,**

 **Champagne pouring over us,**

 **All my friends were glorious,**

 **Tonight we are** **victorious**!

Oh-oh-oh-oh, victorious

Oh-oh-oh-oh!

Kyle dragged out the last 'oh' for about 10 seconds, just as it is in the song, which caused the whole crowd, including Ryder and even his father, to go wide eyed with shock.

Double bubble disco queen headed to the guillotine

Skin as cool as Steve McQueen, let me be your killer king

It hurts until it stops, we will love until it's not

I'm a killing spree in white, eyes like broken Christmas lights

My touch is black and poisonous

And nothing like my punch-drunk kiss

I know you need it, do you feel it?

Drink the water, drink the wine

 **Oh we gotta turn up the crazy**

 **Livin' like a washed up celebrity**

 **Shooting fireworks like it's the Fourth of July**

 **Until we feel alright!**

 **Until we feel alright!**

I'm like a scarf trick, it's all up the sleeve

I taste like magic, waves that swallow quick and deep

Throw the bait, catch the shark, bleed the water red

Fifty words for murder and I'm every one of them

My touch is black and poisonous

And nothing like my punch-drunk kiss

I know you need it, do you feel it?

Drink the water, drink the wine

 **Oh we gotta turn up the crazy**

 **Livin' like a washed up celebrity**

 **Shooting fireworks like it's the Fourth of July**

 **Tonight we are victorious**

 **Champagne pouring over us**

 **All my friends were glorious**

 **Tonight we are victorious**

 **Tonight we are victorious**

 **Champagne pouring over us**

 **All my friends were glorious**

 **Tonight we are victorious**

 **Oh we gotta turn up the crazy**

 **Livin' like a washed up celebrity**

 **Shooting fireworks like it's the Fourth of July**

 **Until we feel alright!**

 **Until we feel alright!**

 **Tonight we are victorious**

 **Champagne pouring over us**

 **All my friends were glorious**

 **Tonight we are victorious!**

As soon as the song ended, the crowd erupted into a loud applause, some even cheering and yelling as well. Kyle smiled and looked down at Marshall and Rubble, who looked up at him and smiled back. All the pups ran up to the three at the front of the stage, Kyle kneeling down to give all of the excited pups a hug. He was soon barraged with licks and happy barking as he laughed. After that, Kyle stood back up and walked over to his mic again.

"Thanks everyone, you were a great audience tonight!" Kyle said into the microphone, the crowd again erupting into applause. Kyle and the pups then proceeded to walk off stage, meeting Ryder at the bottom of the stairs.

"Kyle, pups, you guys were awesome!" Ryder immediately complimented.

"Thanks Ryder!" All of the pups said in unison.

"Thanks, little bro." Kyle said to his brother, smiling.

"I said you could do it." Ryder said, smiling back.

"And you were right, as always." Kyle said, hugging his little brother. They soon ended their embrace, Kyle stuffing his hands in his pants pockets. He felt around in his left pocket, noticing that it was oddly empty.

"Hold on, I think I left my phone backstage. I'll be right back" Kyle said, mentally scolding himself for almost forgetting his phone. He quickly ran back up on stage and slipped through the curtain that separated the main stage from backstage. Once there, he scanned the various boxes and extra lights for the stage until he spotted his phone lying on top of a crate that held some extra speakers. Kyle quickly walked up to it, turning it on to see what notifications he had. Once he realized that none of them were all too important, he turned around to walk over to the curtain but stopped dead in his tracks.

"Hello there, Kyle." His father was standing there, an evil smirk on his face.

"D-Dad? What do you want?" Kyle stuttered, not expecting to see him there at all.

"Oh nothing really. I just wanted to...congratulate you on your _performance_." He took a step forward, Kyle's heart sinking.

"What're you doing? Get back! I'm warning you!" Kyle yelled at him, only for his father to laugh darkly at him. The yelling must've been loud enough for Ryder and the pups to hear, since Ryder peeled back the curtains to see what was going on, the pups crowding at his feet. Their eyes all widened at the sight of him cornering Kyle. Both Kyle and his father didn't notice Ryder and the pups, both wrapped up in their own world.

"It's so cute, trying to act all tough like this, all for your brother, for those mangy mutts he has. We both know that you're not that strong at all. It's all an act." His father took a step closer, causing Kyle to take a step back.

"N-No! You-you don't know what you're talking about!" Kyle stuttered, his fear starting to rise up, his heart about to beat out of his chest.

"I don't? You don't think I heard you all those nights, crying for hours on end in your bedroom? Or how about those times you cowarded away from me when I beat you with the belt, huh? If you were 'strong', you would've stood up to me." His father took another step closer, Kyle tried to take another step back, only to be stopped by the crate that stood behind him. Knowing that he had no where to go, along with the memories of pain and suffering, he couldn't help but start tearing up.

"See? What happened to 'Mr. Tough Guy'? 'Stone Cold'? 'The Kid That Feels Nothing'? This is your true self, a scared little kid." His father took a final step closer, now directly in front of Kyle, who was frozen in fear.

"A little kid that's gonna pay the consequences for what he did!" His father yelled, grabbing Kyle by the throat with one hand, Kyle's eyes going wide with fear. Kyle started choking, helplessly clawing at his father's hand to try and pry it off. His father lifted him off the ground, making Kyle start to choke even more. Tears were starting to run down his cheeks as he continued to attempt to claw the hand away from his throat.

"Dad! No!" Ryder yelled, running up to his father.

"Go away Ryder! This won't take long." His father said, toxicity in his voice. Ryder continued to pull at his father, but to no avail.

"Dad, stop! You're hurting him!" Ryder yelled, Kyle's face turning red as he continued to struggle.

"I said GO AWAY!" His father yelled, shoving Ryder to the ground with his free hand. When Chase, Marshall, Rocky, Zuma, Rumble, and Skye saw this happen, something snapped inside of them which brought them out of their frozen state. Chase was the first to move, running up to his father and biting him in the same place he did before despite his injuried paw, this time actually drawing blood. His father yelled in pain, but still held his grip on Kyle's neck. Before his father could react any further, Marshall ran up and bit his father on his other leg, this time his father loosening his grip on Kyle slightly. Rocky and Zuma both ran up to his father and started tugging on his pants legs, which prevented him from kicking off Chase and Marshall. Skye jumped onto his shoulders, biting onto his ear. His father yelled in pain once more, trying to grab Skye with his open hand. Finally, Rubble went straight towards his father, leaping and aiming right for the crotch. Rubble bit down, hard. His father yelled extremely loud, completely dropping Kyle from his grasp. Kyle fell to the ground with a thud, coughing and hacking as air was finally allowed to enter his lungs. Ryder ran over to his brother's side, looking to see if he was okay. His father managed to knock Skye off, along with Zuma and Rocky. He attempted to run and tried to make Chase and Marshall let go, which did eventually work. His father made a break for it, but Chase and Marshall weren't done yet. The two of them chased him, following him through the curtains and out of the others' sight.

"Kyle! Are you okay?" Ryder asked his brother, a terrified expression on his face. The pups, minus Chase and Marshall, surrounded Kyle with equally terrified expressions. Kyle continued to cough, which was soon followed by a fit of sobbing. He just curled up into the fetal position, sobbing to himself as the memories of all those nights he would cry himself to sleep flooding his mind. The pups could only whimper at the sight of Kyle so broken, so fragile. All of them just sat there with Kyle in an attempt to calm him down, the only thing they could hear was Kyle's faint sobbing and the hushed chatter of the rest of the celebration on the other side of the curtain.

* * *

 **~Alright, pretty long chapter here! Hope you guys enjoyed it! If you're wondering why I chose for them to sing Victorious, it's because when I heard the 'Tonight we are victorious' part at the beginning, I totally saw Marshall and Rubble just screaming that at the top of their lungs XD**


	5. Chapter 5

**[Strong Language and Violence in this Chapter, so RATED T]**

Kyle stood in the one bathroom in the Lookout, staring blankly at his reflection in the mirror. His eyes were bloodshot from his sobbing fit he had at the celebration a mere two hours ago, dark circles prominently standing out under them as well. He leaned in a bit closer to the mirror, lifting his chin to get a better view of his neck. There was a dark bruise that formed in the place where his father was choking him. Kyle just sighed and lowered his chin to look at himself in the mirror once more. He stared into his own eyes, his once vibrant blue eyes now dull and overpowered by the redness and irritation. They were the one feature that set him apart from the rest of his family, since Ryder and his parents all had brown eyes. He used to be proud of them, always thinking that he was the special one in the family.

"Yeah, 'special' could be used in a different context, couldn't it?" Kyle muttered to himself, noting that he was the only non-genius of the family. Compared to his family, he might as well be labeled as special. Kyle just shook his head, trying to make his dark and depressing mood go away. He buried his face into his hands, letting out an angered groan.

"Kyle? Are you okay?" Kyle heard Rubble's voice from outside the door, causing him to bring his head up from his hands.

"We thought we heard you yell." Rocky's voice soon followed.

"Yeah, do you need anything?" Zuma asked, all three pups having heard Kyle's angry groan. They were the only ones in the Lookout at the moment, Ryder had ordered a search for their father to put him to justice. Chase, Marshall, and Skye were told to help the search while Rocky, Zuma, and Rubble stayed behind to ensure that Kyle was alright.

"I'm fine, just...thinking." Kyle said, his mind wandering to other things.

"You're not in any more pain? 'Cause if you are, I can call Marshall-" Rocky started.

"No, I'm alright. I'll be out in a minute." Kyle quickly responded, hearing the pups' footsteps walking away from the door, eventually leaving Kyle in silence once more. Now that everything was quiet, his thoughts immediately returning. Kyle just observed the giant bruise on his neck for the second time, sighing sadly as he walked away from the mirror. He couldn't stand looking at himself, not right now. He was humiliated and assaulted in front of his brother and the PAW Patrol, having a complete meltdown afterwards. To say he was embarrassed would be a complete understatement, he felt like digging a hole and hiding in it for the rest of his life. He stepped out of the bathroom, trudging his way into the main area of the first floor, Rocky, Zuma, and Rubble seated in beanbags watching Apollo the Super-Pup on the tv. Zuma was the first one to turn and notice Kyle. Zuma's eyes were immediately drawn towards the darkening bruise that had formed on his neck.

"Kyle, awe you suwe you'we okay? That bwuise looks pwetty bad." Zuma asked with concern, Rubble and Rocky turning around as soon as Kyle was mentioned, their eyes widening as soon as their eyes landed on the bruise.

"I don't think I've seen a bruise that bad." Rocky commented, Kyle just walking over to an open beanbag between Rubble and Zuma, plopping down onto it with a sigh.

"It's fine, he's done worse to me before." Kyle said, focusing his attention on the superhero pup on the tv to prevent more traumatic memories from his past to resurface.

"What's worse than that?" Rubble asked, ears flattening with fear just thinking about what could've been worse than almost getting choked to death. Kyle sighed, knowing that they wanted to know, and they deserved to know now. Everyone already figured it out, might as well spill everything.

"Well..." Kyle started, Rubble, Rocky, and Zuma's ears flattening as soon as the teen started to answer. "Remember 6 months ago when I broke my arm, and I said I tripped on the way to the basement to do laundry?"

"Y-yeah?" The three pups said in unison, all worried about what Kyle would soon tell them.

"Well, that's not exactly what happened. My dad actually got angry with me and shoved me down the stairs. He forced me to lie to you pups and Ryder to hide what actually happened." Kyle explained, cringing slightly at the memory. "I can still remember how it felt, every step. I'm actually surprised I only broke my arm, I must've hit my head about 3 times on the way down." Kyle said, remembering the pain he felt when he had finally made it to the bottom of the stairs. "He didn't even help me right away, he just looked at me from the top of the stairs and just...smiled. He left me down there for a good few hours, until Ryder called and said he was coming for a visit. That's when he came down there to get me." Kyle finished the awful story, the pain seeming to make his body numb. Rocky and Zuma looked at the teen with pure shock, eyes wide and mouths slightly ajar. Rubble, on the other hand, seemed completely heartbroken. He was tearing up, whimpering quietly, ears drooping. Kyle noticed all of this, his pained expression softening almost immediately at the sight.

"Aw, Rubble." Kyle sat up in the beanbag chair, reaching out to the bulldog that was on the verge of tears. Rubble basically threw himself into Kyle's arms, whimpering and shaking as tears started to roll down his cheeks.

"I didn't mean to upset you, I just figured you guys needed to know." Kyle said, holding Rubble close to his chest.

"We're glad you told us though, Kyle." Rocky said, finally recovering from his shocked state.

"Why didn't...you tell us...sooner!" Rubble managed to say in between his sobs. Kyle only held the pup tighter, to reassure him that he was still alive and breathing.

"Yeah, why didn't you tell us sooner? We could've helped you." Zuma asked, Kyle suddenly feeling uneasy.

"I...uh...I'll feel better telling you guys once my dad's been found, okay?" Kyle said gently, Zuma and Rocky nodding in understanding. Kyle turned his attention back towards the trembling pup in his arms, petting him reassuringly.

"It's alright, Rubble. I got better, didn't I?" Kyle tried to make Rubble see on the bright side of the situation, even though he didn't see it that way himself.

"But now you're hurt again!" Rubble said looking up at Kyle with tear-filled eyes. "We need to catch your dad, he needs to pay!"

"Ryder, Chase, Marshall, and Skye are already searching for him now, Rubble. They can't go any faster." Rocky told Rubble, only to have the bulldog jump down from Kyle's lap.

"We need to help find him! He needs to face the consequences!" Rubble yelled, his sadness transforming into rage.

"But Wyder said we had to stay hewe with Kyle." Zuma objected, looking at Kyle. Kyle was pondering something, looking down at the ground with a look of anger forming onto his face.

"Kyle? Are you okay?" Rocky asked the teen, who looked up at the pups with a newfound rage burning in his eyes.

"You know what? I'm tired of this! All of it! I'm tired of being beaten, I'm tired of being injured, I'm tired of being afraid! I'm finding him, right now! I have to put a stop to this!" Kyle yelled, gritting his teeth with anger.

"Kyle, hold on a second. How do you know where to find him?" Rocky asked, trying to slow the situation for a minute.

"I know a few places where he hangs out sometimes that Ryder doesn't. If he's trying to hide from him, that's where he'll go." Kyle explained, standing up from his seat. "If anyone wants to help, you're more than welcome to join me. Either way, I'm going."

"I'm going with you!" Rubble announced, walking over to Kyle and sitting on the ground next to his feet. Kyle looked down at Rubble and smiled, giving a silent thanks for his loyalty.

"Either of you guys want to?" Kyle asked Rocky and Zuma, who exchanged hesitant looks with each other.

"Should we, Wocky? Wyder told us to stay hewe and make suwe Kyle was okay." Zuma asked the mixed breed, who was just as conflicted as he was.

"We have to make sure he's safe, I say we go with." Rocky came to a conclusion, Zuma slowly nodding, still hesitant about the plan.

"Alwight, let's go." Zuma said, him and Rocky jumping off of their beanbag chairs. Kyle smiled at the three pups.

"Thanks guys, I think I might've needed some backup for this. Let's go." Kyle said.

* * *

Chase sped down one of the many empty streets of town, just having returned from searching the beach for Kyle and Ryder's father. Of course, he wasn't able to be found. He had already searched the entire area around the beachfront, almost every square inch save for a few streets. He made a left turn at the upcoming intersection, turning onto one of the last streets he needed to search. Chase decided not to use his lights and sirens, which would alert their father that he was near. Chase sighed angrily at himself, cursing his sprained paw for allowing their father to escape. Him and Marshall were following his father as he ran away from the celebration, Marshall trying his best to keep up with him since he couldn't. Naturally, as they were crossing the street, Marshall ended up tripping over the curb and face planted into the concrete, allowing him to escape. Chase shook his head, trying to keep his mind focused at the task at hand. As he slowed the speed he was going in his cruiser, he searched along the storefronts that lined either side of the road for any signs of the man. As he passed an alley between a hardware store and a small music store, a loud bang was heard from it. Chase immediately put his paw on the brake pedal, his cruiser making a complete stop. His ears perked up as he stared at the alleyway, almost definitely hearing someone there. Being as quiet as possible, he hopped out of his cruiser and slowly approached the alleyway. His ears constantly perked up and alert, searching for any noise that they could pick up on. Chase slowly walked until he stood at the entrance of the alley, peering into the darkness. He was a bit uneasy about going any forward, but he gathered his courage and decided to keep moving. As he walked forward, he constantly looked around him, noting of the various trash cans and dumpsters that were placed around him. About halfway through, he came across a metal garbage can that lay in the middle of his path, its lid open and garbage flowing out onto the concrete.

"Huh?" Chase tilted his head with confusion, looking around to see if a stray animal could've caused the can to tip. Before he knew it, he heard someone rush him from behind, quickly grabbing him and lifting him from the ground. Instinctively, Chase started struggling against whoever grabbed him, growling in an attempt to intimidate them.

"Hey! Let me go before-" Chase's words immediately got caught in his throat as he felt a cold, sharp object being pressed against his neck.

"If I were you, I'd be very quiet." A male voice said evilly, Chase even hearing the grin the man was wearing on his face.

'Kyle and Ryder's dad?' Chase thought to himself, recognizing that cold, heartless voice in a heartbeat.

"You're going to listen to me, follow everything I tell you, without any hesitation. If you decide not to listen, and you fail to comply..." The metal object, which Chase quickly found out that it was a knife, was pressed a small bit further into his neck, but not far enough to draw any blood. Chase whimpered and shook in fear, having only one question on his mind.

"W-w-why?" Chase stuttered quietly, the man chuckling darkly.

"Why? Well you see, that little shit Kyle needs to pay, for all of the disappointment and pain he's caused me. What better way than to ransom him with the one thing he cares about." He explained, gritting his teeth with anger. The only thing Chase could do is whimper as Ryder and Kyle's father walked out of the alleyway with him being held hostage in his arms.

* * *

Ryder was on his ATV, thoroughly searching the area around City Hall for his 'father'. He didn't even know if he wanted to call him his father anymore, after what he had been doing to Kyle for these past two years. To see his father get under Kyle's skin and make him break down like that, it was a terrible sight to see. That's why he has to find him, he needs to. He can't stand to see his brother hurt like that anymore, he needed to end this. That's what motivated Ryder to keep looking for his poor excuse of a father, to see Kyle genuinely happy once again. He thoroughly searched down every street, every alley, every nook and cranny of the area just find absolutely nothing. He let out an angered sigh as another street turned up with nothing. Just as he was about to drive off, a voice came through his helmet's radio.

"Ryder!" It called, panic in their voice.

"What is it Rocky?" Ryder responded, quickly noting that something must be wrong.

"Me, Zuma, Rubble, and Kyle went out to try and search for your dad, and we found Chase's cruiser. But we don't see him anywhere!" Rocky quickly explained, Ryder's eyes widening with shock.

"Hold on, I'll see if I can track his puptag." Ryder said, tapping on his Pup-Pad that was secured to his ATV. After a few moments, he was able to see where Chase's puptag was.

"The Lookout?" Ryder said in disbelief, not sure if he read what his Pup-Pad said correctly. After double and even triple checking the screen, he decided to call Chase to see if he would pick up.

"Chase?" Ryder called, waiting for the German Shepherd pup to answer him. However, Ryder only got silence in response.

"Chase!" Ryder yelled, his voice sounding desperate. "Are you there? Chase!" Still nothing came through, which threw up a bunch of warning signs in Ryder's mind. He wasted no time calling all of the pups, sending out the most urgent call he ever had to make.

"Pups! To the Lookout! NOW!" Ryder yelled into his radio, quickly speeding on his ATV back towards the Lookout. It was a good thing it was pretty late at night, which meant that the streets of Adventure Bay were completely empty, save for a car or two every so often. This enabled Ryder to quickly zoom down the streets that led to the Lookout without the risk of endangering anyone's life. He started crossing the bridge that took him to the Lookout, looking in the distance to see that the rest of the pups and Kyle were already there, sitting outside the front doors. Ryder picked up his pace, his adrenaline pumping through his veins as he finally made it over the bridge and to the Lookout, jumping off of his ATV and taking off his helmet. He ran over to the group that was waiting by the front doors, the pups running up to him with worry as soon as they took notice of his presence.

"Ryder! What's wrong?" Skye asked with concern.

"We tried getting inside, but the door's locked!" Marshall explained.

"Alright, pups. Chase seems to be missing, Rocky, Zuma, Rubble, and Kyle found his cruiser but he was nowhere to be found." Ryder explained, Skye and Marshall letting out an audible gasp at the news. "And I tracked his Puptag back to the Lookout, it says he should be inside somewhere." Ryder took out his pup-pad and showed the rest of the PAW Patrol.

"That's odd, what could Chase be doing?" Rocky asked, tilting his head with confusion.

"Oh no, what if-" Kyle started, panic in his voice, only to be cut off by someone calling Ryder's pup-pad. Ryder glanced down at the screen to see his father's icon in the middle of the screen, signifying that he was calling.

"Dad's calling." Ryder said, his eyes widening in fear. Kyle immediately rushed over to his brother, looking at the screen, feeling completely petrified.

"Answer it." Kyle said, his anger starting to boil. Ryder nodded and accepted the call, their father's smug face popping up into the screen.

"Hello boys." He said, a shit-eating grin on his face.

"What do you want, Dad?" Kyle asked with toxicity, staring daggers at his father through the screen.

"Now now, Kyle. I wouldn't use that tone of voice with me, who knows what could happen?"

"What do you mean?" Ryder asked, only to have his father chuckle darkly.

"Well, if you must know, I might have a little something of yours." He said, pointing his phone down to see what his other arm was holding. Chase looked up at the phone, whimpering with tears in his eyes, shaking a tremendous amount. His father held a knife in his open hand, having it right next to Chase's neck.

"Chase!" Ryder exclaimed with fear, Kyle's eyes widening as his father put his face back into frame.

"So, Kyle, I wouldn't use that tone of voice with me, unless you want something bad to happen to this mangy mutt of yours." His father grinned evilly, the rest of the pups whining and whimpering with fear and sadness.

"You didn't hurt him, did you?" Kyle asked, his voice trembling.

"Oh, of course not...yet." Kyle's heart sank down into his stomach at those words.

"Don't hurt him, please! I'll...I'll do anything!" Kyle said desperately, his father only smiling at his son.

"Good, I like where this is going." His father started. "Now, I want you, and only you, to come inside the Lookout. I'll unlock the doors for you. But, if anyone else comes in with you, anyone tries to get in, let's just say I'm going to repaint the floor red." Ryder let out an audible gasp as his father stated the last part.

"Dad, no! Don't do this!" Ryder cried, his father laughing at his son's despair.

"I won't do it if Kyle comes in. He has thirty seconds, and if he doesn't..." His father aimed the phone back towards Chase, slowly moving the knife across the German Shepherd's neck. "...good luck." His father gave one last bone chilling smirk before the call ended, leaving the group in silence. Kyle turned to Ryder, grabbing him by the shoulders with complete urgency.

"Ryder, call the county police, okay? I'm going to try and stall him until they get here." Kyle explained, his brother nodding with agreement.

"Okay, just be careful?" Ryder asked his brother, and his brother nodded and smiled.

"I'll be fine, and I'm gonna make sure Chase will be too." Kyle said and quickly ran over to the door, it immediately opening up for him. Kyle gulped nervously, a bead of sweat rolling down his face. He entered the Lookout, the doors automatically closing behind him. In front of him stood his father, who smirked at him as he stood in front of the elevator. Chase was still being held captive by him, the knife still firmly pointed towards his neck.

"Kyle!" Chase yelled, his hopes going sky high, only to have his eyes widen in fear as he felt the point of the knife get pressed a little bit harder into his neck.

"I said no talking, remember?" His father asked, his voice making Kyle sick to his stomach.

"Don't worry, Chase. You're gonna be fine." Kyle reassured the pup, who only nodded and whimpered softly. Kyle focused his attention back to his father, who seemed to be thoroughly enjoying himself.

"What do you want with me?" Kyle asked.

"Oh, you know _exactly_ what I want to do with you." His father said, his voice suddenly filled with anger. "You've been a pain in my ass for too long, and it's time that you finally pay the price."

"Are you going to beat me?" Kyle asked with fear, his father only laughing.

"No, no. Since you are so well acquainted with this little shit in my arms right here, I'm going to make him do it." His father explained, Chase's eyes widening.

"If that's what it takes, I'll do it." Kyle agreed, knowing that this was the only way to keep Chase safe. Chase kept shaking his head, knowing that what he was going to be forced to do would be wrong.

"Good..." His father started, walking closer to Kyle. "Hold out your arm." He ordered him, Kyle complying with a look of confusion. His father lowered Chase's face right in front of Kyle's arm.

"Bite him." His father said plainly.

"W-what?" Chase stuttered, looking at Kyle with uncertainty.

"Bite him, now." His father repeated, his voice more tense and irritated.

"Chase, just do it. It's okay, I know you're not doing it on purpose." Kyle told the pup, who still was hesitant.

"Do it NOW! Before I spill your blood all over the floor!" His father said, pressing the knife harder towards Chase's neck. Chase gave a look of sorrow towards Kyle, who nodded in understanding. As soon as he got the confirmation from Kyle, he opened his muzzle and bit down on Kyle's arm. Kyle tensed up, letting out a pained yell as he felt Chase's teeth pierce the skin on his arm, feeling the blood starting to seep out.

"Harder." His father said, Chase hesitating for a second, only to comply out of pure terror. Kyle winced as tears started forming his eyes, hearing Chase start to whimper quietly.

"It's okay, it's okay, I'm fine...I'm fine." Kyle said, half saying it to calm Chase down, half saying it to calm himself down as well. His arm felt like it was being set on fire, it was almost too much to bear.

"Let go." His father finally said after what seemed to be an eternity of pain. Chase took no time releasing his jaw from Kyle's arm, squirming in Kyle's father's arms as he tried to spit out Kyle's blood that ended up accumulating in his mouth. Kyle held his injured arm tightly, watching the blood ooze from his newly-opened wound. He winced as he looked at his father, who's eyes seemed to twinkle with delight at the sight of the blood flowing from Kyle's arm.

"Good, that's what I like to see." His father said, Kyle looking at his father with a disturbed expression.

"You're sick!" Was the only thing Kyle managed to say, gritting his teeth from the pain in his arm. His father just laughed at the statement.

"Now, now, let's not get worked up." His father said with a grin. "I'm honestly not getting as much enjoyment out of this as I hoped. Well, you know the saying..." He dropped Chase to the ground, who landed flat on his stomach, not expecting to be dropped right then. Chase wasted no time standing up and righting over to Kyle, letting his tears flow. Kyle kneeled down to wrap up the pup in a hug.

"I'm so sorry, Kyle. I'm sorry!" Chase apologized over and over.

"It's okay, it's okay." Kyle said, looking at his father.

"...if you want it done right, you gotta do it yourself." His father finished saying, Kyle's eyes widening in realization.

"Chase, get outside! Now!" He told Chase, who shook his head.

"No, what about yo-" Chase tried to negotiate, only to have Kyle cut him off.

"Chase, I'm not changing my mind, go!" Kyle said, standing up and facing his father. Chase looked at Kyle before running towards the door and running out, the entire time severely concerned about Kyle. Kyle stared at his father, who was twirling the knife in his hand playfully. Kyle looked at the knife fearfully, knowing what he was getting himself into.

"Well, this might be it for you. Don't worry, no one'll miss you anyway." His father said before lunging at Kyle, knife pointing right at him. Kyle started running at his father as well, getting ready to block the knife. His father went to jab the knife his way, which Kyle dodged the path of the knife. Kyle grabbed his father's arm, trying to wrestle the knife from his hand. His father elbowed him in the face, causing him to stumble backwards, holding his nose. His eyes were tearing up from the blow he took, so he couldn't see the kick his father sent into his abdomen, sprawling him out flat on his back with a thud. His father quickly pinned him down by sitting on his legs, making him unable to stand. His father wasted no time thrusting the knife towards Kyle, who instinctively put his hand up to block. In one quick motion, the knife plunged into Kyle's hand, the tip coming through the other side of it and nearly making contact with Kyle's nose. Kyle let out the loudest, most pain-filled scream he'd ever made, staring with wide eyes at the knife that was stuck in his hand. His father struggled to get the knife out, and Kyle took this opportunity and punched his father in the face with his free hand, causing his father to let go of the knife's handle. He punched his father again, allowing him just enough time to get his legs free. He stood up and managed to get closer to the front doors of the Lookout, the farthest away he could get from his father. As if his prayers were being answered, the automatic doors opened behind him, causing his head to whip around to see who entered. Three county policemen stood in the door way, guns drawn and aimed inside.

"Bay County Police!" The middle officer yelled, Kyle pointing over at his father, who was just standing up from his position on the floor.

"He tried to kill me, and one of the innocent pups out there!" Kyle yelled, his father frantically looking for any escape routes. Two of the officers ran after his father, the third checking up on Kyle.

"What happened here?" The officer asked, looking at the knife that was still stuck in Kyle's hand.

"My...my dad held one of the pups of the PAW Patrol hostage...and he forced him to bite my arm." Kyle said, feeling lightheaded.

"Alright, what else?" He asked, examining the bite mark on his arm.

"He got tired of using the pup as the hostage, so he let him go...we started wrestling...and he stabbed...my hand..." Kyle started swaying back and forth, about to pass out.

"You gotta stay awake kid, I'll call an ambulance for you right now." The officer said, grabbing his walkie-talkie from his belt.

"Oh...okay..." Before Kyle knew it, he fell to the ground, his strength slowly and slowly leaving his body. The only thing he heard was the panicked voices of Ryder and Chase before being enveloped into complete darkness.

* * *

 **~Alright, here's Chapter 5 everybody! I've had a little lack of motivation during the writing of this chapter, but I was re-motivated by the massive amounts of support I've been getting for this story. One person (who's a guest by the name of 'X') even said that I was one of the best writers they have come across on the site. That actually really surprised me that someone considers that highly of me. I've only been writing FanFictions seriously for about a year and a half, and the fact that I'm only 15 and don't have a lot of writing experience in any other aspects as well, it completely took me off guard that people like this. I always right off the bat think that my stories are pieces of crap, but I've had people tell me otherwise. So, thank you all for your kind words, I really appreciate it. Please leave me some feedback to let me know how I'm doing!**


	6. Chapter 6

Kyle's eyes fluttered open, only to be immediately blinded by a bright light that was located above him. He squinted and put one of his hands over his eyes to block some of the light, trying to make his eyes adjust to the brightness of the room. Once he did manage to adjust his sight to the bright light, he saw that he was looking up at a white panel ceiling, one of the four lights in the room conveniently placed right above him. He decided that it was time to sit up, which was a slow and grueling process for him. It seemed like every inch of his body was sore, and each time he moved his body screamed at him to stop. Once he finally managed to sit up straight, Kyle saw that he was in a hospital room. Kyle looked around the room, looking for any signs of anyone, but saw no one, until he looked at the edge of the bed by his feet. He saw a brown and tan blob curled up by his feet, and Kyle immediately smiled. Chase had stayed here with him, for however long he'd been out cold. He knew that the German Shepherd pup cared for him so much, and he cared a lot about him. Kyle couldn't believe that his father used Chase to ransom him. It was a sick game that his father decided to play, but he was glad that Chase was okay, and that he was okay. Well, okay might not be the right word. He wasn't dead, that's a start. He leaned forward and gently shook the sleeping pup awake.

"Huh?" Chase groaned, popping his head up. He looked around, eyes squinted with fatigue and from the brightness of the lights. Once Chase took notice of Kyle sitting up in his bed, his eyes immediately became as wide as dinner plates.

"Kyle!" Chase exclaimed excitedly, immediately jumping up and into his lap, licking his face.

"Whoa, Chase. Easy, I'm still a little sore." Kyle said, wincing slightly despite still smiling at the pup's excitement.

"Oops, heheh, sorry." Chase apologized, laughing with slight embarrassment.

"It's alright, I'm just glad your safe." Kyle said with a smile.

"I'm really glad you're alright. You didn't look too great when we found you." Chase said, his ears lowering at the memory. Kyle remembered what had happened before he passed out, instinctively looking where the knife had been forced through his hand. The knife had since been removed, the hole now properly cleaned and stitched up.

"Oh...my god...there was a hole in my hand." Kyle said in shock, eyes widened as he examined the stitching on his hand.

"Yeah, it scared me to see that knife stuck in your hand like that." Chase admitted. Kyle's face suddenly contorted into one of panic and fear.

"Wait, what happened to my dad? Did they catch him?" Kyle asked Chase, his eyes filled with fear.

"They caught him, Ryder told them everything that you told us. Now he's behind bars where he belongs." Chase said, growling slightly at the mere thought of Kyle's father.

"So...it's over?" Kyle asked, his face losing all emotion for a moment.

"Yeah, its over." Chase said, a smile on his face. Kyle had a sudden look of realization, and it hit him hard.

"It is over, after 2 long years..." Kyle couldn't help but smile, overjoyed by the news. He could help but let a couple tears of joy run down his cheeks, which alarmed Chase at first.

"Kyle, what's wrong?" He asked with concern, his ears perking up.

"I'm just glad it's finally over." Kyle said, wiping the few stray tears that managed to roll down his cheeks away. "I don't have to be scared anymore." Kyle felt like a giant weight had been lifted from his shoulders, he could finally be happy knowing that the days of abuse and pain were over.

"Need a hug?" Chase offered, giving a kind smile to the teen. Kyle just nodded and opened up his arms to the pup, who happily jumped into them. Kyle finally felt safe, knowing that Ryder, Chase, and the rest of the pups were unharmed. He just held Chase tightly, the warmth his body was giving off soothing Kyle's nerves as well as his sore muscles. The two stayed that way for a minute before Kyle decided to put Chase back down on the bed next to him.

"Hey, where's Ryder and the rest of the pups?" Kyle asked with curiousity.

"Oh, the doctor said that they all couldn't stay in the room with you, so Ryder went to take them home." Chase explained, looking at a clock that hung on the wall adjacent to the bed. "They're probably all asleep now." Kyle looked at the clock to see that it read 5:04 am.

"Oh...so, I was out for a few hours then." Kyle said, taking a quick look around the room.

"Yeah, I was worried that you...might not wake up." Chase said, his ears lowering. "That's why I stayed, to see if you woke up." Kyle just smiled warmly at the pup.

"Aww, your a sweet pup, you know that?" Kyle said, scratching Chase behind his ear. Chase's tongue immediately fell out of his mouth, his back leg starting to kick.

"Oh yeah, right there." Chase said, causing Kyle to laugh.

"Alright, I've been awake for all of five minutes and I'm already sick of this place. When can I leave?" Kyle asked, Chase shrugging.

"I'll get one of the nurses and tell them you woke up." Chase said, hopping off the bed and heading out the door. This left Kyle with only himself and his thoughts for a few minutes. As Kyle sat up in the bed, looking aimlessly around the bland, white walls that were surrounding him, he realized something. He didn't have the pressure of his father on him to keep him up on his schoolwork constantly, he didn't have the fear of getting beaten if he didn't bring home an A on a test, he could be free to do whatever he wanted now. He could actually be a normal teenager, one that hangs out with their friends at the mall, or plays video games until 2 am. He can actually spend quality time with Ryder and the pups without constantly checking the clock to make sure he was home before his father found out. He could put whatever kind of effort in his schoolwork as he wanted to without stressing himself out to the point of a mental breakdown. He can actually have free time to himself, time he hasn't been able to have since his elementary school days. Kyle couldn't help but smile to himself, he had the freedom to do whatever he wanted now, and the feeling seemed to give him courage. Courage to keep moving forward, no matter what happened.

"Mr. Daniels, I see you're awake." A woman's voice broke Kyle away from his thoughts. He turned his head towards the door to see a woman, appearing to be in her mid-30s, wearing a light blue nurse's uniform, an ID clipped onto her shirt, along with Chase who stood next to her.

"Yeah, glad to be awake too." Kyle responded, the nurse giving him a little smile.

"How are you feeling?" She asked, walking up to his bedside to examine the cuts on his arm and hand.

"I'm a little sore, but besides that I'm alright." Kyle explained, shifting uncomfortably in his spot as the nurse checked the stitching on his arm. "You wouldn't happen to know when I'm going to be able to leave, would you?"

"Well, judging by how well you're feeling at the moment, I can tell the doctor to hurry and get your release papers ready and have you out in an hour or two." The nurse explained to the teen, who nodded with understanding.

"That would be great, thank you." Kyle said to the nurse.

"Until then, take it easy. Don't want to pull any of your stitches out on accident." She warned.

"Will do." With that response from Kyle, the nurse nodded and left the room, leaving Kyle and Chase alone once more. Chase jumped up onto the bed again, wanting to be as close to Kyle as possible, to protect him from any danger that could appear.

"Great, another hour or two here. I really hope the nurse gets those release papers fast." Kyle said, crossing his arms with annoyance.

"Why don't you like the hospital? You come here and they fix you up, and you're good as new." Chase asked with slight confusion.

"Yeah, but if you're here enough times and forced to lie to all the doctors and nurses, you'd grow a distaste for it too." Kyle said, referring to the countless times his father was "forced" to bring him to the hospital for his injuries, and that his father had made him cover up what actually happened.

"Oh...yeah. That would be a pretty good reason to hate it here." Chase said, feeling bad for bringing up those bad memories to Kyle.

"I'm just glad he's finally paying the consequences for it all. He deserves everything that's coming to him." Kyle just looked at his lap and shook his head. "I can't believe he kidnapped you just to play his sick, twisted game, that psychopath."

"You got that right, he was crazy." Chase agreed. Kyle looked at Chase and nodded at his response, looking around the room once more, his eyes landing on a tv that sat in the corner of the room.

"Hm, maybe some tv could pass the time." Kyle suggested to Chase, who seemingly agreed with the plan.

"Sure, but where's the remote?" Chase asked, looking around for it.

"I don't know..." Kyle trailed off, quickly scanning the room. His eyes landed on a tray table that was on the right side of the bed, the remote sitting on top of it. "There it is." Kyle said, going to reach for it with his arm that had the stitches on his hand. Before he could get far enough to reach it, Chase put both of his front paws on Kyle's chest, making him withdraw his hand.

"I'll grab it, you need to rest." Chase said, lowering his paws. "You heard the nurse."

"Chase, I'm perfectly able to move around. I'm not a baby." Kyle said, chuckling at Chase's overprotectiveness.

"Hey, you babied me when I sprained my paw, now it's my turn." Chase said, walking across the bed and to the tray table, grabbing the remote with his mouth. He returned to Kyle, who took the remote from him.

"Thanks, Chase." Kyle said, petting the pup on the head, causing his tail to wag with content. Kyle pointed the remote at the tv and pressed the power button, causing the tv to roar to life. The channel that it was left on happened to be the local news channel, which had just begun its 5 am newscast. Kyle was just about to change the channel to another one when what the news anchor said caught his attention.

" _One of our top stories this morning, thirty-seven-year-old Jonathan Daniels, a local marine biologist and father to ten-year-old Ryder Daniels, the founder and leader of the PAW Patrol, was arrested late last night on charges of child abuse and ransom. According to what Bay County Police have gathered, Jonathan had been abusing his eldest son, fifteen-year-old Kyle Daniels, for the past two years until suspicious bruises and cuts were discovered by Ryder late Friday afternoon. When first questioned, he denied any such involvement with the fifteen year old, but was later found attempting to strangle Kyle backstage of Adventure Bay's 150 Year Celebration. The PAW Patrol soon pursued him before Jonathan kidnapped one of the members of the PAW Patrol and used him as a ransom to get to Kyle. When Kyle encountered his father at around 10 o'clock last night, they ended up in a fight which critically injured Kyle, having been inflicted a stab wound to his hand and a bite mark on his arm. He was rushed to the Adventure Bay Medical Center, and Jonathan was apprehended and put in jail, where he is now awaiting trial. Jonathan Daniels can face up to 6 years in county jail for these charges. More on this story as more information is released._ "

Kyle continued to stare at the screen in utter shock, his brain not being able to comprehend what he had just heard.

"Yeeaaahh, I forgot to mention. The news station interviewed Ryder and he told them everything. Heheh." Chase said, laughing nervously as Kyle's expression turned into one of a mix of annoyance and irritation.

"Great! I was barely able to tell you guys what happened, now the entire town knows. Did they seriously not have anything else more important to talk about?" Kyle said, crossing his arms.

"Not that many major incidents happen here, so no. They didn't." Chase said, Kyle letting out a long, angry sigh.

"Now all my friends are going to know about the whole situation." Kyle groaned.

"What's the problem, I'm sure your friends will understand." Chase asked.

"Yeah, if we were close enough. They'll just poke fun at me about it. When I broke my arm a few months ago, they just called me a dumb ass and laughed at me. It's going to be really annoying to deal with." Kyle explained, rolling his eyes at the mere thought of his friends' annoying voices already.

"They're not true friends if they'll do that." Chase simply said. Kyle just looked at the German Shepherd and smiled.

"Yeah, you're right. I know who my true friends are." Kyle said, wrapping an arm around Chase. The pup smiled at him, Kyle returning the smile back. The two of them then sat there, watching tv until Kyle was allowed to leave.

* * *

After about 40 minutes of waiting, which Kyle was very happy about, the pair were able to leave the hospital and return to the Lookout before it hit 6:00. When Kyle and Chase arrived at the Lookout, all of the pups were still sound asleep in their puphouses. Kyle and Chase were about to walk in when Kyle stopped them.

"Hey, are you sure you don't want to get some more sleep, Chase? I mean, you have to be alert when you're on duty." Kyle said to the pup, who shook his head.

"Nope, I'm wide..." Chase's sentence was cut off by a long yawn. "...awake. Never mind, I'm going to bed." Chase finished, giving Kyle a fatigued smile.

"Alright, I'll be inside." Kyle chuckled, Chase slowly trudging towards his own puphouse. Kyle just smiled at the pup and turned towards the front doors, walking forward as the automatic doors opened for him. As he entered the main lounge area of the Lookout, he saw Ryder sitting in one of the beanbag chairs, watching a cartoon that was playing over the giant screen, a cup of what seemed to be coffee. Kyle raised his eyebrow at the sight of the brown-colored beverage, never knowing that Ryder had even drank coffee before.

"Hey, don't you think you're too young for coffee?" Kyle asked with a smirk, his voice causing Ryder's head to quickly swing around in his direction, eyes wide with surprise.

"Kyle!" Ryder exclaimed with excitement, literally jumping out of his seat and running towards him, wrapping Kyle in a bone-crushing hug.

"Whoa!" Kyle exclaimed, almost losing his balance when Ryder nearly tackled him. "Still sore, still sore!" Kyle winced at the small amount of pain he was experiencing, causing Ryder to immediately let go of his brother.

"Sorry, my bad!" Ryder apologized, a look of slight embarrassment on his face.

"It's alright, I'm just a little sore is all." Kyle said, a warm smile across his face.

"When did you wake up? Me and the pups only left a few hours ago." Ryder asked.

"Around 5:00 is when I think I woke up. Chase was sleeping at the end of the bed when I woke up." Kyle said, a small laugh escaping his lips.

"Yeah, Chase practically begged me to let him stay with you. He's been really attached to you ever since we found him." Ryder said, remembering back to the first day they had found the little pup.

"Yeah, I've grown attached to him too, not gonna lie. I've grown attached to all of the pups, actually. I love it here." Kyle said.

"Hey, let's sit down. I don't want to keep you standing here." Ryder said, motioning to Kyle to follow him towards the beanbag chairs.

"I can stand you know, I'm not crippled." Kyle said, rolling his eyes.

"Still, you're not completely recovered yet, you need as much rest as you can." Ryder said, sitting down on the beanbag he was sitting on before.

"Great, you sound like Chase. At the hospital, he didn't even let me sit up to grab the tv remote off the table." Kyle said, sitting down on the beanbag chair next to Ryder.

"Yeah, that does sound like Chase. Always overprotective of everything." Ryder laughed, taking a sip of the coffee he had left near his seat. The two put there focus on the cartoon that was airing on the tv at the moment, until Kyle had realized something. He became lost in his thoughts, absentmindedly staring at the wall next to the tv instead of directly at it. Ryder noticed this, and looked at Kyle with an expression of concern and confusion.

"Hey Kyle, are you okay?" Ryder asked, breaking Kyle away from his thoughts.

"Oh, yeah. I'm just thinking." Kyle explained, Ryder raising an eyebrow.

"About what?"

"What I'm gonna do now." Kyle sighed. "Dad burned everything I owned, including all of my school stuff. All of my money that I saved up is gone. Without Dad paying the bills for the house, it'll probably get foreclosed and resold. I'm completely lost..." Kyle explained, looking at his lap. Ryder thought about it for a moment, thinking of any possible solutions for Kyle's situation. Suddenly, an idea popped into Ryder's head, his eyes widening with realization before a smile appeared on his face.

"Kyle?" Ryder asked to get his brother's attention.

"Yeah?" Kyle responded, looking at Ryder with a small glimmer of hope in his eyes.

"How would you like to become a member of the PAW Patrol!" Ryder said, Kyle's eyes going wide with shock. Kyle knew that Ryder could come up with an idea to help him, but he didn't expect him to come up with this one.

"Wha- are you serious?" Kyle asked in disbelief, Ryder nodding with a smile.

"I'm completely serious, Kyle. I want you to be a part of the team." Ryder said.

"Really? I mean, I really don't have a specific skill that would help during emergencies though." Kyle explained, his hope starting to simmer out.

"No, but you have multiple skills that you can work on." Ryder told Kyle, who looked at him with slight confusion. "You have some skill in combat from what I've seen, you're quick on your feet when you're out on the spot, you can be kind when you want to be and hostile when you have to be, and most importantly, your very strong, physically and emotionally. Those are pretty great traits for a leader." Ryder reasoned.

"I guess it runs in the family." Kyle chuckled, Ryder chuckling a little as well. "So, you want me to be co-leader with you?"

"Would you be up for it?" Ryder asked.

"Of course! What person would I be if I denied that kind of offer?" Kyle smiled, excited out of his mind. "I really can't thank you enough, Ryder."

"It only seemed natural, you're around here helping out whenever you could." Ryder stated.

"Dude, the pups are going to freak the hell out when they hear this. It's going to be awesome!" Kyle said, bouncing up and down in his seat like a child. Ryder couldn't help but smile at his brother. He might be very serious most of the time, but when he was excited he definitely broke his usual character.

"They should be up soon, we'll tell them as soon as possible." Ryder concluded, Kyle nodding with agreement. The two of them watched whatever decent shows happened to be on in the early morning, Ryder sipping coffee while Kyle had gotten a cup of tea to drink. As the two were in the middle of watching some random tween sitcom, the sounds of happy barking and howling were heard from outside. Kyle and Ryder looked at the front door, both knowing what was soon coming.

"A stampede's coming, isn't there?" Kyle asked, a smile forming on his features.

"Yep." Ryder simply said before the two front doors opened, Marshall, Rubble, Skye, Rocky, and Zuma all running in, tails wagging.

"Kyle!" They all said in unison as soon as they saw the teen, all running towards him. Chase came through the doors at last, seeing the group of pups running towards Kyle.

"Careful! Kyle is-" Chase tried to warn them, but it was too late. Kyle was tackled by all five of the pups, bombarded by happy licks to his face and nuzzles. "-still sore." Chase grumbled, walking over to the rest of the group.

"Hey pups, glad to see you!" Kyle laughed at the bottom of the literal dog pile despite the soreness he felt from being tackled by the five of them.

"We're so glad you're okay!" Skye said, doing a backflip out of pure happiness.

"Yeah, it was scary seeing you like that." Marshall said, his ears flattening against his head in remembrance of how Kyle had passed out with the knife stick straight through his hand.

"I know, but I'm fine now, all patched up!" Kyle said. "And can you let me get up? You guys are crushing me a little." Kyle laughed at the fact that all five of them were sitting on his chest and stomach. After a bunch of 'oops's and 'sorry's, all of the pups got off of Kyle, letting him sit up from his spot on the floor.

"Anyway, pups. Kyle and I have some news to share with you." Ryder said, Kyle nodding in agreement.

"News?" Rocky repeated, titling his head with curiosity.

"Is it good news, or bad news?" Chase asked.

"Definitely good news." Kyle said, smiling.

"Pups, I'm proud to introduce the newest member of the PAW Patrol." Ryder said, motioning towards Kyle, who anxiously awaited the pups' reaction. Every single one of the pups' eyes became as wide as dinner plates, their mouths slightly ajar with complete shock before huge smiles appeared on their faces.

"See, I told you their reaction would be priceless. I should've taken a picture!" Kyle said before laughing.

"Awe you sewiously a membew now?" Zuma asked, wagging his tail with anticipation.

"Yep! I'm going to be co-leader with Ryder now." Kyle said proudly.

"This is awesome!" Rubble said, hopping up and down with excitement. Not long after, someone's stomach growled loud enough for everyone to hear, and everyone instinctively looked at Rubble.

"What? That wasn't me!" Rubble said in his defense.

"Heheh, that was me actually." Kyle said, a light blush on his face as the others looked over to him. "I haven't eaten anything since lunch yesterday, I'm starving!" Kyle said, the pups along with Ryder laughing. Kyle just smiled and laughed along with them, enjoying the peace he finally had with them. This was the first time he had been completely happy, without having to worry about dealing with his father's wrath, in two whole years. He had almost forgotten what it felt like, but Ryder and the pups have been the light that kept him away from complete darkness, and he was eternally grateful for them. Everything seems to be finally going right for him, and he couldn't be more relieved that it was happening this way.

* * *

 **~Hey everyone, here's Chapter 6! Thanks to all the people who left positive feedback for me, I really do appreciate all of it. I'm still not used to having all this attention on my story, mostly because I'm a person who usually doesn't draw attention to themselves often. So, any sort of attention is still a really new feeling to me. Anyway, please leave some feedback for me, I would really appreciate it if you did. Thanks!**


	7. Chapter 7

"Alright, Kyle. Watch this!" Skye exclaimed with excitement, the teen and the rest of the pups watching the aviation pup hopping on the large trampoline Ryder had set up for them. Skye started getting more and more air after each bounce, eventually jumping higher than 3 times her normal height, which the whole group was impressed by. By one final bounce, she launched her body into a spinning motion, one so fast that she was able to do two backflips in a row before her paws touched back down on the mat of the trampoline.

"Whoa! That was so cool, Skye!" Rubble exclaimed in amazement, his eyes filled with wonder and awe.

"Yeah, that was pretty awesome, Skye. Great job!" Kyle praised the Cockapoo with a smile. Skye barked happily as she hopped off the trampoline and approached the group.

"Thanks guys! Anyone else want to try?" Skye asked them.

"Hmm, I guess I could give it a go." Kyle said, walking up to the side of the trampoline.

"Uh, Kyle. Are you sure that's a good idea? You still have stitches on your arm, remember?" Chase asked, seeming uneasy by the idea of Kyle bouncing on the trampoline.

"Don't worry, I'm using my legs, not my arms. Besides, you can't put a trampoline in front of my face and not expect me to jump on it." Kyle laughed, lifting himself onto the trampoline. The pups all had a look of uncertainty as Kyle started to jump.

"Be careful, Kyle!" Rocky warned, the teen nodding.

"I will, don't worry." Kyle said reassuringly as he began bouncing on the trampoline, gaining more height with each bounce. The higher and higher he went, the more and more uneasy the pups felt. Chase was the most worried out of all of them, anxiously waiting for Kyle to get down. Kyle continued to bounce as time ticked by, a smile on his face the entire time. Before any of the pups could process it, Kyle brought his body backward in a flipping motion, tucking in to do a backflip. All of the pups' eyes widened with fear, each of them holding their breath as Kyle flipped. Kyle carried out the rest of the flip, landing on his feet and continuing to bounce. The pups let out a sigh of relief once Kyle was safely back on his feet.

"See? No harm done." Kyle stated with a smile, hopping down from the trampoline with a light thud.

"Wow, youw'e one gutsy dude, Kyle!" Zuma exclaimed, running up to him with his tail wagging full force.

"Heheh, thanks Zuma." Kyle chuckled, ruffling the chocolate lab's fur on the top of his head. Kyle looked over to meet the worried glances of the rest of the pups. "And I've been doing backflips on the trampoline since I was 6, so I know how to do them well. I wouldn't do it if I didn't know it well enough." Kyle laughed, easing the others' nerves a little. "A double backflip...maybe..." Kyle trailed off, glancing over at the trampoline with a look of curiosity.

"No!" All of the pups exclaimed, drawing the line at only one backflip.

"I'm joking, I'm joking! I'm not that stupid. Geez, have some faith in me." Kyle joked around, the pups finally relaxing and all letting out a laugh. They all haven't seen this side of Kyle before, he always seemed to be a solemn, mature, but caring person. The pups never saw him be that much of a jokester before, but they assumed that it was how he was all along, and his father had oppressed him from being who he really was. After the group had finished laughing, Ryder's voice emitted from Rocky's puptag.

"Rocky! I need your help again." He said.

"Alright, Ryder! On my way!" Rocky said, running off towards the Lookout, leaving Kyle looking on with a confused expression.

"That's the third time Ryder called for Rocky in an hour. What are they doing?" Kyle asked the pups.

"Well...we would tell you, but Ryder specifically said not to." Skye explained, Kyle huffing with annoyance.

"It's a surprise!" Marshall exclaimed excitedly.

"A surprise? For me?" Kyle repeated, raising an eyebrow.

"Yep, just for you!" Rubble said, smiling.

"Ah, no wonder Ryder brought out the trampoline!" Kyle realized. "He used my weakness against me. Clever." He laughed, the pups laughing along with him. "But now I really want to know what he's doing."

"You have to wait, you'll ruin the surprise!" Chase told the teen, who sighed.

"Yeah, yeah. I guess. What can we do now? I need to occupy myself with something." Kyle said anxiously. "If I don't I'll just keep thinking about it until I explode."

"Um, we could visit Katie?" Marshall suggested.

"Oh! I could so go for a bubble bath right about now." Rubble said, smiling at the mere thought of soaking in some nice, warm water.

"Sounds like a good idea." Chase agreed, the rest of the pups nodding their heads as well.

"Wait...are you trying to get me farther away from the Lookout?" Kyle asked with suspicion.

"Yep!" They all said in unison, innocent smiles on their faces.

"Alright, fair enough. Let's go." Kyle sighed with defeat, the pups giggling.

* * *

After a short trip across the bridge that connected the Lookout to the rest of Adventure Bay, Kyle and the pups, minus Rocky, made it to Katie's pet parlor. Kyle opened the front door of the building, a bell ringing to alert Katie of their entrance. The pups followed suit after Kyle, entering through the door that Kyle held open for them. Katie popped her head up from behind the front desk, a smile forming on her face at the sight of Kyle and the pups.

"Hey there Kyle! Hey pups!" She greeted them.

"Hi Katie!" The pups all said in unison.

"Long time, no see." Kyle said with a smile.

"It has been a while, Kyle. How are you?" Katie asked.

"I'm doing alright, how about you?" Kyle responded politely.

"I'm good." Katie smiled. "What can I do for you guys?"

"Oh, we just wanted to stop by and say hi." Skye spoke up, the rest of the pups nodding. Kyle just rolled his eyes at the pups' antics.

"They're trying to keep me away from the Lookout for a while. Apparently Ryder has some surprise for me." Kyle clarified, Katie making an 'o' shape with her mouth.

"Do you know what it could be?" Katie asked curiously, only earning a shrug from Kyle.

"Not a clue." Kyle said, his mind still pondering all of the possibilities of what this surprise could end up being.

"Hey Katie?" Rubble asked timidly, walking up to the girl.

"Yes Rubble?" Katie responded, kneeling down to the bulldog's height.

"Could you possibly give me a bubble bath? Please?" Katie giggled at Rubble's timidity.

"Of course, Rubble. I know how much you love your bubble baths." Katie said while petting Rubble on his head, causing him to giggle.

"Thanks Katie." Rubble thanked the blonde with a smile.

"Alright, you pups can play around here if you want, just be careful you don't knock anything over. I'll get your bath ready soon, Rubble. I got to find Cali, I think she got in the back room again." Katie explained before disappearing into the back room to look for her beloved cat. Kyle sighed and looked around for anything to entertain himself with for the time being. He spotted a tv that was hanging up on a wall across from him, the remote to said tv lying on the front desk.

"Aha!" Kyle said, grabbing the remote off of the desk with lightning-fast reflexes, eager to cure his boredom with some tv. He pressed the power button on the remote, the tv turning on right away. Kyle instantly regretted doing so, as the station it was left on just happened to be the news channel, and guess what they were talking about this time?

"Are you kidding me?" Kyle exclaimed with annoyance, staring at the tv screen with severe discomfort.

" _Late last night, 37-year-old Jonathan Daniels was arrested on a charge of child abuse-"_

"What is it Kyle?" Chase asked, running up to Kyle with concern, the rest of the pups following soon after.

"Do they seriously not have any other news today?" Kyle said, pointing the remote towards the tv screen. The pups looked at the screen and started listening to what the news anchor was saying.

" _Sources say that Mr. Daniels had been abusing his eldest child, 15-year-old Kyle, for a total of two years-"_

"Oh." Chase said, his ears flattening against his head as he looked back towards Kyle.

"I was having a good day too." Kyle muttered sadly, pointing the remote at the tv and turned it off. "I could definitely go without being reminded of that every time I watch tv."

"Kyle, are you okay?" Marshall asked as Kyle put the remote back on the desk.

"I'm...alright. I guess. I just have memories coming back to me again." Kyle said, struggling to get those toxic memories out of his head. He wanted to finally forget it all, it was over, and he wished that the news channel could realize that too.

"Kyle, c'mon. Don't let those memories get to you." Rubble said supportively.

"Yeah, it's all over now. Your dad is where he belongs." Skye added.

"You don't have to worry anymore." Chase stated, Kyle letting out a sigh.

"I know, it's not as easy as some would think, to forget about it." Kyle said, running his hand through his dark brown hair. "But, I'll deal with it. I always had." Kyle gave the pups a small, sad smile in an attempt to try to ease their worry. This, however, made the pups worry a lot more. Kyle noticed their still worry-stricken faces, and Kyle put on a more convincing smile. "I'm serious, I'll be fine. Don't worry." Kyle smiled a larger smile, the pups seemingly buying him this time around.

"Alright, I found Cali!" Katie stated as she walked back into the room, the aforementioned cat in her arms with an annoyed expression on her face. Before Kyle and the pups could say anything to Katie, Ryder's voice emitted from each of the pups' puptags

"Pups! Me and Rocky are done with the surprise. You can bring Kyle down to the garage now." He told them.

"Roger that, Ryder!" Skye replied back happily.

"C'mon guys, it's ready!" Marshall exclaimed excitedly, tail wagging.

"I guess we're leaving now. It was nice talking to you again, Katie." Kyle told the girl with a smile. His mood was instantly lifted as soon as he heard Ryder's voice.

"Nice to see you too, Kyle. Bye pups!" Katie waved goodbye to the pups, the pups saying their farewells as they ran out the door. Kyle followed the pups, turning back to wave at the blonde-haired girl, who returned the wave with a smile.

After the couple minute trip back to the Lookout, Kyle and the pups met Ryder and Rocky at the entrance of the garage. Kyle hopped off the side of Chase's cruiser, as he was using it for a source of transportation. He looked at his brother, who had the largest smile he'd ever seen on someone's face.

"So..." Kyle started. "I heard that you had a surprise for me?" Ryder nodded.

"That's right, Kyle. Took me a little time, but me and Rocky were able to finish it." Ryder explained.

"Yep! I think you'll like it!" Rocky added, his tail wagging with excitement.

"Alright, I'm ready." Kyle said, rocking back and forth on his heels, trying to keep his anxiousness under control, but ultimately failing. Ryder pulled out his pup-pad and tapped on the screen, the garage door behind him and Rocky slowly ascending. Sunlight started pouring into the dark garage as the door continued to rise, slowly revealing the surprise Ryder had made for Kyle. Once the door opened up all the way, the entire garage illuminated by the sun, Kyle couldn't help but let an excited gasp escape his lips.

There, sitting in front of him, glimmering in the sunlight, was a brand new ATV! It looked similar to Ryder's, but the colors were switched around. It's primary color was blue, compared to the red color of Ryder's, and had a red stripe going down the middle of it, along with the fenders that extended over the wheels being a very bright white. Kyle was left totally speechless, eyes wide with shock.

"You like it?" Ryder asked, a smile across his face.

"Of course I like it! It's amazing!" Kyle finally managed to say, grinning from ear to ear. He walked up to the ATV, examining it up close. He looked near the handlebars of the ATV to see a new pup-pad connected to it as well.

"You got another pup-pad too?" Kyle asked in disbelief.

"Yep, I figured that if you were going to be apart of the team, you were going to need the right equipment." Ryder explained.

"This-this is amazing. I can't thank you guys enough." Kyle said, the extreme act of kindness able to release his emotions a small bit. He went up to Ryder and wrapped him in a bone-crushing hug, Ryder just smiling and returning it.

"Don't mention it, Kyle. We just wanted to see you happy again." Ryder said, Kyle ending the embrace.

"I love you guys." Kyle said with a smile, kneeling down and opening his arms wide. "Come here." Kyle said to the pups, who smiled and obliged. Before Kyle knew it, he was tackled by all six pups, who gave him loving licks to his face and nuzzles galore, all while Kyle and Ryder were laughing with joy.

* * *

A man is seen sitting in a jail cell, the concrete walls and floors making it hard for any natural light to enter the room. The only light that was entering the room was from the small, shatter-proof window that was located on the cell door, itself made from a very strong metal. The man sat in complete silence, almost like he was stewing in his own thoughts. That was the just the case for him, his thoughts causing a great amount of anger to course through his veins. He would be trying to find away to escape, but the handcuffs that were placed on his wrists made any sort of escape plan impossible. The only thing he could do was let his anger build up inside him as he waited...and waited...and waited. He looked down at his clothing, which were still his street clothes from when he was first apprehended. His white button down shirt was littered with smudges of dirt and holes of various sizes, his khakis being in a similar state. Before he could dwell more on his physical appearance, the sound of the cell door unlocking caught his attention. He turned his head towards the door as it was slid open, the bright light from the hallway quickly illuminating the dark, cold cell. An officer stood in the center of the doorway, glaring at the man who was seated in the back corner of the cell.

"Daniels, there's a call for you." The officer stated coldly, only to have Jonathan smile back at him.

"Really? That's peculiar." He said with a sinister smile on his face. "Maybe it's my ticket out of here."

"You wish it was, but it's not. Just come on." The officer ordered, his nerves already being tested.

"Well, if you insist." Jonathan said with mock enthusiasm, standing up from his seat and walking out of his cell, his hands still restricted by the handcuffs. The officer followed behind him as they both walked down the narrow hallway, being cautious so Jonathan didn't have a chance to escape. After a few moments of walking, they reached a door. Through this door was a desk with a computer on it, another officer sitting in a swivel chair, typing away at the keyboard. On the opposing wall stood the front door of the police station, except that it was blocked by a secondary set of bars and a locked cell door, completely erasing any possible escape route he could see in his vicinity. Next to the front door was a line of three payphones, the middle one having a third officer standing in front of it, phone held firmly in his hand. As Jonathan approached the third officer, the one that had escorted him there took a set of keys from his pocket and unlocked the handcuffs that were on his wrists. Jonathan rubbed the part of his wrists where the cuffs had dug into his skin, leaving behind a red line around each of them. He looked at the third officer, who shoved the phone towards him.

"This counts as your one phone call, so make it quick." The officer said sternly, the reaction he got from Jonathan was the same as the one the other officer received, a suspicious smile.

"Don't get your panties in a bunch, it'll only take a minute." Jonathan replied slyly, the officer just huffing out of annoyance as he shoved the phone into his hands and walked away. The officer that took off his handcuffs went back behind the desk, giving him some room while also keeping a close eye on him. Not wanting to keep the person on the other end of the line waiting, Jonathan put the phone up to his ear.

"Hello?" He asked into the phone, unsure about who had called him.

" _Jon! Is that you?"_ A voice, familiar to Jonathan, was heard on the other end.

"Charlie? Yeah, it's me." Jonathan responded.

" _What happened man? I thought you said you weren't gonna get caught!"_ Charlie exclaimed with disbelief.

"I wouldn't have, if it wasn't for my dumbass son Kyle and the PAW Patrol. They're the reason I'm stuck here." Jonathan huffed, his anger getting closer to its boiling point.

" _What can we do? You know I don't have the kind of money to bail you out."_ Charlie stated, Jonathan realizing that his friend was indeed right. What could they do? He wouldn't be able to escape now, especially with the high security at the station. That's when an idea hit him.

"Look." He started, his tone hushed so the officers nearby couldn't hear him. "I'm being transported to the county prison in a few days, I'll try to escape when I'm being transported there. In the meantime, I want you to pay a little visit to the PAW Patrol. You still got your dog? That wolf hybrid?"

" _You bet! So, you want me to use Jax to hurt those pups?"_ Charlie asked.

"Exactly, but only attack a couple at a time. I want to see Kyle suffer at the dwindling number of pups he has." Jonathan said, a dark tone now lingering in his voice.

" _Gotcha, Jon. See you in a couple of days."_ Charlie said his farewell to his incarcerated companion.

"'Till we meet again, my friend." Jonathan smiled, hanging up the phone. Once the officer had seen that he had finished his call, he stood up from behind the desk and approached him from behind.

"Hands behind your back." The officer said, implying that he was going to place the handcuffs back onto Jonathan's wrists.

"With pleasure." He said with his signature, devious smile as he complied. Once the cuffs were once again secure around his wrists, the officer proceeded to escort him back to his cell. After another short walk through the bland, white hallway that connected all of the cells to the rest of the station, he was put back inside his cell once more. The officer, without any hesitation, locked Jonathan back up tightly inside the small, concrete room, sealing off most of the light again. Jonathan sat alone on the bench that was inside, left alone with his thoughts, just as before. Except of having thoughts of anger, he had thoughts of his sick form of happiness, the thought of Kyle and the pups paying for what they did silently amusing him. A purely evil grin, one that went from ear to ear, slowly crawled its away across Jonathan's face.

"Oh, I can't wait to get outta here."

* * *

 **~Hey guys! Here's Chapter 7! Sorry if this chapter is shorter than the others, I had some writer's block issues while writing this one, but I started picking up speed towards the end (if you couldn't tell). Also, we get to see what Kyle used to act like before everything started happening, and he was a lot more laid back. Still mature when he needed to be, but definitely more loosened up. Before I end it off here, the guest reviewer 'X' had correctly predicted what was gonna happen next, Jonathan Daniels' revenge. I mean, you guys didn't think it would be that simple, did you? Anyway, before I ramble on for too long, please leave some feedback to let me know how I did. I would really appreciate it.**


	8. Chapter 8

**[Warning! Slightly Graphic Content in this Chapter!]**

A new day was upon the members of the PAW Patrol, the sun shining brightly in the midday sky. Everyone was doing their own thing at the moment, Chase and Skye playing Pup Pup Boogie, Rubble watching his favorite cartoon, Apollo the Super-Pup, Marshall was preoccupying himself by washing his fire truck with his water cannons, and Rocky and Zuma were passing a soccer ball between each other in the back lawn of the Lookout. Ryder and Kyle were at the top of the Lookout, both of them watching Chase and Skye's game unfold. The two pups were both very close in points, Skye only barely holding onto the lead while Chase was quickly catching up.

"Who do you think will win?" Ryder asked his brother, who shrugged with uncertainty.

"I'm not sure, it's pretty much a toss up right now. But, I'm leaning more towards Chase." Kyle explained, Ryder nodding in response.

"Skye's still holding onto the lead, I'll say she has the upper hand." Ryder contradicted Kyle's opinion. The two looked at the screen once more to see that Chase was behind by a hundred points, the gap between the two pups closing rather quick. With only 10 seconds left in the song, both Chase and Skye were in full focus, both completely in sync with the song. Kyle and Ryder both watched with anticipation at both point counters, Chase getting closer to Skye's score by each passing second. The song was down to five seconds...then four...three, two, one...

"Time!" A cheery, automated voice came from the game, signifying the end of the song. Chase and Skye both collapsed with exhaustion as soon as it said this, both panting hard and breathing heavy.

"Whoa, Kyle! Look at the scores!" Ryder said, pointing at the two point counters. Kyle read each of the numbers that were in front of him, his eyes widening with surprise.

"They tied?" Kyle exclaimed with shock, both Chase and Skye's heads immediately snapping back up to look at the screen.

"Huh?" The two pups said in unison, looking at their own score before looking at the other's. Kyle was right, they both had tied, each counter saying the same score, 10,109.

"I don't think that's ever happened before." Ryder stated, thinking back to the other times the pups have played to see if he was right.

"I guess we're both equally as good." Chase said, finally having caught his breath.

"I guess we are, Chase. That was fun!" Skye said, barking happily.

"Yeah, it was!" Chase agreed, his tail wagging with excitement.

"Hey Ryder?" Kyle said to get the 10-year-old's attention.

"Yeah?"

"This reminds me of when we were younger, when we would always go to the arcade and play Dance Dance Revolution." Kyle said, smiling fondly at the memory that had resurfaced in his mind.

"I remember, you would always beat me. I think I might've won once or twice." Ryder recalled, a smile forming on his face.

"Yeah, I might've let you win those times, if I'm completely honest." Kyle laughed, Ryder, Chase, and Skye joining in as well.

"How long ago was that?" Skye asked with curiosity. "Because I don't think I've ever seen an arcade in Adventure Bay."

"Pfft, that was a long time ago. Maybe, five years?" Kyle looked at Ryder, who nodded. "Yeah, I'd say about five years ago is when they closed it."

"That doesn't seem like a fair game, a ten year old versus a five year old." Chase pointed out, Kyle shrugging with a devious smile.

"Never said it was one. But, we both had fun, right Ryder?"

"Definitely." Ryder said, smiling at Kyle. Before anything else could be said, a voice emitted from Ryder's pup-pad.

" _Wyder!_ " It was Zuma's voice, and it was filled with worry. Ryder took no time pulling out his pup-pad to speak to the chocolate lab.

"What is it, Zuma?" Ryder asked with concern, noting the worry he heard in the pup's voice.

" _Wocky's huwt! Like, weally huwt!_ " Zuma exclaimed, Ryder, Kyle, Chase, and Skye's eyes all going wide with fear.

"What happened?" Kyle asked, his words almost getting caught in his throat.

" _We wewe playing with a soccew ball, but Wocky missed it when I passed to him. He went to get it and he took a long time, so I stawted looking fow him. I found him like this, he's bleeding a lot!_ " Zuma explained, Kyle's stomach sinking as he mentioned blood.

"Hold on, Zuma! We're coming!" Ryder told him.

" _Please huwwy-_ " _Crack!_ " _What was that?_ " Zuma said, fear in his voice now.

"Zuma?" Ryder asked, not getting a response from him at first.

" _AHHHHHH! Help me! Help m-_ " Zuma's scream of terror rang out from Ryder's pup-pad before the audio abruptly cut out. Ryder, Chase, and Skye all had a look of terror on their faces, frozen in their places. Kyle, on the other hand, fueled by his own adrenaline, immediately ran towards the fireman's pole that connected to the garage. Without any hesitation, Kyle latched his arms and legs around the pole, his momentum spinning him around the pole as he descended into the garage.

Once in the garage, he looked at a button that was located next to where he landed, which happened to be the one that opened the garage door. He slammed his fist onto it as hard as he could, nearly breaking the button itself. The garage door slowly started to lift, but Kyle had no time to waste. Before it could even open halfway, Kyle bolted towards it, dropping down low to slide right under the door. He quickly got back to his feet and sprinted up the driveway, his feet hitting the pavement so hard that his feet started to ache. Once he spotted the forest that Rocky and Zuma were playing near, he made a beeline straight towards it. He passed up Marshall on the way there, who was just getting done washing up his truck.

"Kyle? What's going on?" He yelled after Kyle, who already zoomed passed him towards the tree line.

"Rocky and Zuma are in trouble!" Kyle snapped his head back to yell to Marshall, who audibly gasped with shock. He started running after Kyle, but Kyle was running at an alarming pace towards the trees and ended up losing him. Kyle had finally made it into the forest, hopping over fallen logs and short shrubs that littered the forest floor.

"ZUMA! ROCKY!" Kyle screamed out for the two pups, desperately trying to get to him.

"KYLE! HELP!" Zuma's voice was heard off in the distance, Kyle's head looking into the direction from which he heard him.

"I'm coming Zuma!" Kyle yelled, sprinting off towards the pup's location. His heart was beating the fastest it has ever beaten before, caused by a mix of the amount of running and the pure fear that was being pumped throughout his body. The closer he got to the source of Zuma's cry of help, he was able to make out the snarling of what seemed to be a wild animal. Kyle pushed a few low-hanging branches out of the way, the snarling and the screams of Zuma as loud as ever. As he powered through the branches, he made it to a clearing in the center of the forest. What Kyle saw at this moment will be forever imprinted in his mind for as long as he lived. He saw a wolf-like animal pinning Zuma to the ground, the chocolate lab having claw marks on his chest, face, and arms, blood seeping out of each of his wounds. The wolf bared his teeth at Zuma as he pinned him down by his two front legs, his sharp claws easily digging into each of them. Kyle couldn't take to see this sight anymore, going into a blind rage. He ran full force at the wolf, who was too busy focusing on Zuma's terrified expression. Kyle went to go in for a tackle, lining up his shoulder with the wolf's head, almost like a linebacker in a football game. His shoulder made contact with his head, the wolf only noticing Kyle before it was too late. The blow knocked the wolf to the ground with a hard thud, letting out a pained yelp. Kyle had so much momentum that he ended falling into the dirt as well, but he quickly got back up to his feet. Kyle saw that the wolf-like animal stood back up and glared at him, all before taking off and running deep into the forest. Kyle really wanted to go after the wolf, make sure that he'd never hurt his pups again, but he had to help Zuma and Rocky. Kyle immediately turned around and ran to Zuma's side, kneeling down next to him.

"Zuma! Are you okay?" Kyle asked frantically, his tears attempting to spill over at the horrible sight that stood before him.

"I'm f-fine. Please, c-check on Wocky." Zuma said weakly, slowly rolling over so he was laying upright. He pointed his paw behind Kyle, who turned around to see what he was pointing at. Kyle's eyes widened with fear, bile attempting to come up his throat. Kyle became overwhelmed, his tears flowing down his cheeks now. Rocky was laying motionless on the ground, his front left leg bent at an odd angle. He had several deep gashes along his body, across his chest, back, front and hind legs, and one across his muzzle. All of these opened wounds caused a pool of blood to start forming around the mixed breed. Kyle immediately went over to Rocky's side, kneeling down in the blood puddle that had formed.

"Rocky? Rocky!" Kyle said, gently feeling over his abdomen. He felt some broken ribs as well, and that only made Kyle more sick to his stomach.

"Rocky? Can you here me?" Kyle asked, his voice trembling. Kyle let out the loudest sigh of relief as he saw the pup stir slightly, his eyes opening slightly.

"K-Kyle?" Rocky asked, his voice quiet and weak.

"Yes, it's me Rocky! It's me! I'm calling Ryder, you're going to be fine!" Kyle said, reassuring the pup. He pulled out his pup-pad and clicked on Ryder's icon, less than second later Ryder answering. Ryder's face appeared on screen, his eyes widening with fear when he saw the horror-stricken face of his brother.

" _Kyle! Where are you?_ " Ryder asked with concern.

"I'm not exactly sure, I'm in a clearing in the middle of the forest. You can track my pup-pad's location, right?" Kyle asked, really hoping that the answer would be yes.

" _Yes, I can. How are Rocky and Zuma?_ "

"Zuma has some cuts and gashes but he seems to be in better shape. Rocky's in really bad shape, Ryder. You need to hurry!" Kyle said frantically, looking down to see Rocky closing his eyes again. "Rocky, you have to stay awake for me, okay?" Kyle immediately said, Rocky's eyes snapping back open.

"E-everything...hurts." Rocky managed to say.

"I know, buddy. I know. We'll get you fixed up soon, okay?" Kyle said to Rocky before facing his pup-pad. "You got my coordinates yet?"

" _I got 'em, and and I got Marshall's medical pup-pack too. We'll get there as soon as we can._ " Ryder told him.

"Okay." Kyle said before hanging up his pup-pad, tossing it onto the dirt, not caring to put it back in his pocket. Rocky was whimpering as tears were dampening the fur under his eyes, Kyle not being able to even imagine how much pain the poor little pup was in. Kyle took notice of the giant gash on his chest, which was where most of the blood was coming from.

' _I need to stop it from bleeding._ ' Kyle thought to himself, his mind frantically looking for a solution.

"Rocky, I'm gonna put some pressure on that gash on your chest, okay? To stop the bleeding. It's gonna hurt, but I want you to know it's for your own good." Kyle explained to the mixed breed pup.

"O-okay." Rocky agreed, his voice sounding even weaker than it had a minute ago. Kyle nodded his head and rolled up the sleeves on his hoodie, preparing to place his hands over the wound. He started applying pressure to it, blood trying to seep through his fingers. Rocky whimpered as tears started flowing down his cheeks even faster.

"It's okay, Rocky. It's okay. You're fine." Kyle kept repeating this to try to calm the pup down. Kyle looked over his shoulder to quickly check on Zuma. He was relieved to see that Zuma was still conscious, staring at Kyle with tearful eyes.

"Hanging in there, Zuma?" Kyle yelled over to him.

"I'm alwight, just make suwe Wocky's okay." Zuma said, Kyle nodding before turning his attention back to Rocky. The blood was still flowing through his hands, thoroughly covering them with the warm, crimson liquid.

"It's not working." Kyle muttered to himself, realizing that his hands couldn't stop the blood from flowing out of the wound. He was quick on his feet, however, an idea popping in his head. Kyle took his hands off of Rocky's chest, hastily taking his arms out of his sleeves and pulling his hoodie over his head. He took his hoodie off completely, revealing his white undershirt.

"I'm gonna wrap this around you, okay?" Kyle said, Rocky nodding his head slowly, aware of the pain he would soon be feeling. Kyle started wrapping the hoodie around the pup, gently lifting him up to get the hoodie under him.

"Ow ow ow." Rocky whined softly.

"Sorry, sorry." Kyle apologized, trying to keep his cool the best he could. Once he got the hoodie wrapped around Rocky's abdomen, he used the sleeves to tie it tightly to him.

"There, that should stop the bleeding for now." Kyle told the pup, who was just staring up at the trees above him.

"O-okay...is i-it bad?" Rocky asked.

"Nothing a hospital visit can't fix, just hang in there Rocky." Kyle assured the pup. Kyle remained by Rocky's side, talking to him in an attempt to keep him awake. After a couple minutes rolled by, Rocky started to lose consciousness once again, despite Kyle's attempts.

"Rocky, you have to stay awake. It won't be much longer now." Kyle said desperately, petting his head.

"I...can't..." He trailed off, his eyes only completely closed. Kyle's eyes started widening with fear, about to start talking to him again before...

"KYLE?" Kyle heard Ryder's voice nearby.

"RYDER, OVER HERE!" Kyle yelled back, quickly turning back towards Rocky.

"Don't worry, Ryder's here. Everything's gonna be fine!" Kyle said to Rocky, who's eyes were closed now. Kyle let out an audible gasp, quickly putting his ear up to the pups mouth. He sighed with relief when he felt Rocky's breath, although very soft, on his ear.

"Thank god." Kyle said, hearing the crunching of leaves and footsteps behind him. Kyle turned to see Ryder and the rest of the pups appearing from the tree line, gasping and eyes wide at the sight.

"Oh my god, Rocky! Zuma!" Ryder cried, running over to Zuma's side. Rubble and Skye ran over to Zuma with Ryder while Chase and Marshall ran over to where Rocky and Kyle was.

"Kyle, what happened?" Chase asked, his eyes widening at Rocky's condition.

"I'll explain later, Rocky needs help now! He lost consciousness again!" Kyle said, scooping up Rocky into his arms. "Ryder!" Kyle yelled to his brother, who was currently talking to Zuma. He looked up at Kyle and saw Rocky in his arms, his eyes tearing up at the sight.

"Rocky!" Ryder immediately stood up and ran over to him, tears starting to roll down his cheeks.

"Ryder, listen. You, Rubble, and Skye take Zuma to Katie's, his injuries aren't as serious, she could treat them. I'm gonna take Rocky to the animal hospital." Kyle explained, Ryder nodded.

"Got it!" Ryder said, running over to Zuma and picking him up as well.

"Marshall," Kyle looked down at the Dalmatian. "I need you to get your ambulance so we can get Rocky there safely."

"Ready for a ruff ruff rescue." He said his usually catchphrase, but it was toned down a bit, given the situation.

"Chase, we're gonna need to get there fast, so I need you to give us a police escort." Kyle explained to the German Shepherd pup.

"Chase is on the case." Chase said, his tone serious as well.

"Alright, let's go. We don't have much time." Kyle said, and the group dispersed into the forest, all of them heading back in the direction of the Lookout.

* * *

The sounds of sirens wailing could be heard as a group of three vehicles were seen speeding down the streets of Adventure Bay. Chase, in his police cruiser, led the pack, using his sirens as a warning to other motorists. Marshall followed close behind him, his sirens blaring as well. Rocky, who was still unconscious, had been placed in the back of the ambulance. Kyle rounded up the pack on his ATV, making sure that the group stayed together and was prepared to grab Rocky from the ambulance and rush him inside. Some cars that were in front of them pulled over as soon as their sirens were heard, allowing a clear path for them to take. The animal hospital was in sight, located on the corner of the upcoming intersection. The group sped up a little at the sight of it coming up on the right, turning into the entrance of the parking lot. Chase and Marshall both turned off their sirens when they parked in the parking lot, hopping out of each of their vehicles. Kyle got off of his ATV and ran over to the ambulance right away, not worrying about taking his helmet off considering that he didn't even wear his. It might've been a dumb idea in hindsight, but Kyle wasn't worrying about his own safety at the moment. The only thing he cared about was getting Rocky inside. He flung open the rear doors of Marshall's ambulance, quickly scooping up the mixed breed in his arms. His once navy blue hoodie that he wrapped around him was now soaked with blood, turning it into a sickly brownish color.

"C'mon, I don't think we have a lot of time." Kyle told Chase and Marshall, running towards the entrance of the animal hospital, the two pups following close behind. Kyle bursted through the two front doors, startling the two women that were sitting behind the front desk.

"Please, he needs help. Now!" Kyle cried desperately, both of the women standing up with horror-stricken faces.

"Oh my lord, what happened?" One of them asked, hurrying up to Kyle and Rocky.

"He got attacked by a wolf. From what I saw, his front left leg's broken and he's got a few broken ribs, and a lot of claw marks. I tried to stop him from bleeding by wrapping my hoodie around him." Kyle explained, the woman nodding.

"Let me take him, I'll bring him to our veterinarian." She told Kyle, who nodded and handed over Rocky. The woman walked towards the wall that was behind the desk, pushing through a set of double doors to where Kyle assumed the examination rooms were. Kyle finally felt somewhat relieved to have gotten Rocky there, but a part of his mind was still worried that if he was going to make it through this. Since Kyle now had a moment to think, he took the time to look down and examine himself. He had to hold back the bile that threatened to make its way up his throat as he saw the amount of blood that was on him.

"Oh...my...god..." Kyle muttered. His hands were completely covered in the crimson substance, his arms having smears of it all the way up to his elbows. His previously white undershirt had a giant stain of blood in the center of it. Kyle just looked down at himself in horror, mouth slightly ajar.

"Kyle? What's wrong?" Marshall asked, noticing Kyle's horrified expression.

"S-so much b-blood." Kyle stuttered, causing both Marshall and Chase to look at Kyle's shirt and hands, letting out a surprised gasp. The second woman at the desk noticed Kyle's discomfort.

"There's a bathroom to your left if you want to...clean up." She told him, gesturing towards a single door that had a men's/women's bathroom sign on it.

"O-okay." Kyle said, slowly walking towards the door. He was about to grab the doorknob to open the door when he stopped himself.

"Can you open the door for me? I don't want to...get blood on it." Kyle asked, turning towards the woman. She nodded and walked over to the door, turning the knob and pushing it open. Kyle said a quick thank you to her before going inside the bathroom, the door being closed behind him by the woman. Kyle walked up to the sink, holding out his blood-soaked hands in front of him. He thought he would be done seeing this much blood, he thought that his mental turmoil would be finally over, he thought that he could finally be at peace, but he thought wrong. Kyle just took a deep breath to try and calm his now racing heart, reaching for the faucet and turning on the water. He put his hands under the running water, watching the blood run off of his hands and swirl around the sink. As he was cleaning off his hands and arms, the blood staining the porcelain sink a light pink, he only had one thing on his mind.

"Please be okay, Rocky."

* * *

 **~Hey everyone! Energyn here! I'd like to thank the people who have been supportive of this story up to this point. I never would've thought people would like this story as much as they do, it's still blows my mind. So I really do appreciate all of you, you guys give me motivation to keep writing. I really hope you enjoyed this chapter. With that being said, please leave me some feedback to let me know how I'm doing. Thanks!**


	9. Chapter 9

Kyle was seen pacing around the waiting area of the Adventure Bay Animal Hospital, anxiously awaiting any sort of news on Rocky's condition. He was biting his nails nervously as he wandered around, a bad habit Kyle had ever since he was younger. He had managed to get all of the blood off of his hands and arms, but he still had the bloodstains on his shirt and pants, now drying and turning a brownish color. Kyle's mind was being bombarded with a million thoughts per second, each of them centered around the well being of the mixed breed pup. While Kyle was having this miniature mental breakdown, Chase and Marshall watched him with concern. They were also very concerned about their friend's wellbeing, but Kyle seemed to be severely overworked by this, and this bothered them.

"Chase, Kyle's been doing that for 20 minutes now. It's kinda freaking me out." The Dalmatian said to his German Shepherd friend, who nodded with agreement.

"I know, It's worrying me too." Chase replied, a frown on his face.

"Should we ask if he's okay?" Marshall suggested, unsure on what to do.

"Couldn't hurt." Chase replied, looking over towards Kyle, who was staring absentmindedly out the front windows that were facing the parking lot. Chase stood up from his spot on the tiled floor, soon followed by Marshall. The two pups walked up to the 15-year-old, who didn't even turn to notice them walking up to him. Chase and Marshall exchanged looks of worry before the German Shepherd decided to speak up.

"Kyle? Are you alright? You look-" Chase started.

"I'm fine." Kyle replied bluntly, still staring out the window.

"Are you sure? Because you don't sound-" It was Marshall's turn to try, but only to get cut off like how Chase did.

"I'm fine!" Kyle raised his voice a little, his voice filled with harshness. The toxicity of Kyle's voice caused both Chase and Marshall to jump, whining with their ears going flat against their heads. Kyle almost immediately realized how hostile he sounded, looking at the two pups with an equally surprised face.

"I-I don't know where that came from. I didn't mean to-, I'm...uh..." Kyle stuttered like an idiot, completely shocked that he even raised his voice like that.

"I-its okay, Kyle. It just startled us as all." Chase said, still a little shook up from Kyle's sudden outburst.

"I'm just really stressed out right now. I just want Rocky to be okay." Kyle admitted, looking towards the door that the woman had taken the pup a mere half hour ago.

"We all do, Kyle. We're just worried about you. You look like you're overworking yourself." Chase told him, Marshall nodding.

"Yeah, it's not good to worry yourself this much, Kyle." Marshall added.

"I know, I know. I just can't help it." Kyle sighed, kneeling down to Chase and Marshall's level. "It's just that you guys, Ryder, and the rest of the pups are basically the only family I have left now. I just...I don't want to lose anyone else." Kyle explained, trying his best to keep his composure. "I already lost my mom...my dad...my grandparents...I don't want to start losing you guys too." A stray tear rolled down his cheek, but Kyle wiped it away just as fast as it came.

"Kyle-" Chase said reaching out to Kyle with one of his paws, only to be cut off a second time.

"Please, can you give me a few minutes? I need to...gather my thoughts for a little while." Kyle said, standing up to look out the window once more.

"Of course. C'mon Chase, let's give him some space." Marshall said, turning around to walk back over to where they were sitting before. Chase hesitated for a moment, looking at Kyle with a concerned expression before turning around to join Marshall. Once the two were a good distance away from Kyle, Chase decided to speak up.

"Marshall, I've never seen Kyle like this before. The way he snapped at us like that..." Chase said, glancing at Kyle across the room, the teen still staring out the window with a deadpan expression.

"Did you hear him? He said that Ryder and us pups were his only family now. He's lost everyone else." Marshall brought up, Chase nodding in recollection.

"Yeah. Should we call Ryder and ask him about it? Maybe he'll know why he's acting like this." Chase asked Marshall, who nodded.

"He might know, let's try." Marshall replied, Chase immediately pressing on his puptag to send a call to Ryder's pup-pad. After about 5 seconds there was an answer on the other end.

"Chase? What's going on? How's Rocky?" Ryder immediately bombarded the pup with questions.

"We got to the hospital alright, but we don't have any news on Rocky yet. How's Zuma doing?" Chase asked with curiosity.

"We got Zuma all cleaned up and bandaged, he's resting now." Ryder informed the two of them, who both let out a sigh of relief.

"That's great news, Ryder. But..uh..we called because there's something wrong with Kyle." Marshall said into Chase's puptag.

"What do you mean? What's wrong?" Ryder asked, his voice filled with more concern than before.

"Well, he's really overwhelming himself about Rocky. And when we went to ask him if he was okay, he sort of...snapped." Chase explained.

"Then he said that he was just really worried about Rocky, and that you, me, Chase, and the rest of us were his only family now. He said that he was afraid of losing us too, and after that he wanted us to leave him alone for a while." Marshall added to the explanation.

"Uh oh, that doesn't sound like Kyle at all. I'll be over there in a few minutes to try and see what's wrong." Ryder told the pups.

"Alright Ryder. See you soon." Chase said, the call ending soon after. Chase looked back towards Kyle, who continued to stare absentmindedly out the window. Chase was way past being worried for the teen, now being borderline scared. Chase couldn't imagine the pain that Kyle keeps getting reminded of, especially having lost, basically, both of his parents, along with his grandparents. Now with Rocky being critically injured, with Kyle having to try and save his life before they had reached the hospital, with the mixed breed's blood all over him, that only added to the poor teen's mental strain. Chase just frowned at the thought, deciding just to be patient and wait for Ryder.

After 5 minutes had passed, Kyle had moved from looking out the window to sitting in one of the many chairs in the middle of the waiting area. Chase and Marshall had been sitting in silence for the time being, anxiously waiting for any sort of news about Rocky as well as Ryder's arrival. One of these two wishes were fulfilled, as Ryder was seen pulling into the parking lot on his ATV. Chase and Marshall's ears both perked up at the muffled sound of Ryder's ATV outside, the two of them running towards the entrance of the hospital. When they had made it to the front doors, Ryder had just entered through them, quickly startled by both Chase and Marshall running up to him.

"Ryder!" Chase and Marshall exclaimed in unison, Ryder kneeling down to their level.

"Hey pups, where's Kyle?" Ryder immediately asked with worry.

"Over there." Marshall responded, turning and gesturing to where Kyle's seat was. Kyle had his head buried in his hands at the moment, not even noticing his brother's presence.

"Alright, I'm going to talk to him. You two stay here, okay?" Ryder told them both, who nodded. Ryder than stood up straight and walked over to Kyle, who still failed to see him. Ryder stood in front of Kyle, clearing his throat to make his presence known. Kyle looked up at the sudden disturbance of his deep thoughts, only to be met with the concerned gaze of his brother.

"Ryder? Uh...what's up?" Kyle asked nervously, having a feeling where this conversation would soon be going.

"I should be asking you that, Kyle. I got a call from Chase, he and Marshall were worried about you." Ryder said, taking the open seat next to him.

"About me? I'm totally..." Kyle started, only to meet the disapproving look that Ryder gave him, knowing that Kyle would at least attempt to hide it. Kyle sighed. "...not alright." Kyle admitted, although he didn't want to.

"What's wrong Kyle? You can tell me." Ryder assured him, putting his hand on Kyle's shoulder. Before Kyle started speaking, he took a deep breath to try and keep his mind on track.

"I'm just...really worried about Rocky, Ryder, I really am." Kyle said.

"I know, we all are. I have a feeling that's not all, right?" Ryder asked.

"Yeah, right." Kyle paused for a moment. "You and the pups are all the family I have left now. We lost Grandma and Grandpa a year before you were born, than we lost Mom when you were born, and that's when Dad seemed to start changing, and now I've lost him completely. I'm not prepared to lose anyone else, I don't want to lose anyone else." Kyle explained, burying his face into his hands once more. Ryder rubbed circles on Kyle's back in an attempt to comfort him. "I just want the loss to stop, I just want peace for once." Kyle muttered, his voice muffled by his hands.

"I know, I know." Ryder said in a calming voice. "Hey, listen. Maybe you should go back to the Lookout and rest for a little bit. I think we both know you need it."

"But...I need to stay here, I need to know how Rocky is." Kyle argued, raising his head up from his hands to look at Ryder.

"Kyle, don't worry. I'll be here, the rest of the pups will get here soon too." Ryder assured him.

"But-" Kyle tried to argue once more, only to be cut off.

"Kyle, if you're not going to do it for yourself, do it for me. You've been doing everything you could to protect me and the pups from anything that puts us in danger, you deserve to rest. Please." Ryder was practically begging him at this point, Kyle only letting out a long sigh.

"Okay, I guess you're right. I'll go rest." Kyle finally agreed, a small smile forming on Ryder's face.

"Thank you. Now go ahead, me and the rest of the pups have everything else under control." Ryder said reassuringly. Kyle just nodded and stood up, Ryder, along with Chase and Marshall, watched Kyle walk out the front doors, hop back on his ATV, and head out in the direction of the Lookout. Once the sound of Kyle's ATV faded from their earshot, Ryder called over to Chase.

"Chase, come here for a second." Ryder said to the German Shepherd pup, who immediately ran up to him.

"What is it, Ryder?" Chase asked curiously, confused on why the boy had called him over.

"I want you to go back to the Lookout and stay with Kyle, to make sure he actually rests. You know how stubborn he could be." Ryder explained to the police pup.

"Chase is on the case, Ryder sir." Chase said confidently, barking and running towards the exit to catch up with Kyle.

* * *

Once Chase had made it back to the Lookout, he noticed that Kyle had parked his ATV outside the front doors instead of in the garage like it always was.

"Well, at least I know he's here." Chase said to himself, sighing with relief. He parked his cruiser in its usual spot, hopping out of it as it started transforming back into its puphouse form. Chase made his way towards the front doors, which opened up automatically as soon as he got close enough. When the doors opened, his ears immediately picked up the faint sound of music, along with a voice that was singing. Chase stopped in his tracks to listen a bit closer to the voice, soon confirming that it was Kyle singing and not the actual singer of the song. He couldn't exactly make out any of the words except for a few here and there. He continued inside the Lookout, spotting Kyle lounging on one of the beanbag chairs and singing along to the song.

"Kyle?" Chase spoke up, getting the attention of the teen.

"Oh, hey Chase." Kyle said over the music, reaching down towards his phone that had the music emitting from it. He quickly turned the music down low enough so he could be heard clearly and continued speaking. "What are you doing here?"

"I just wanted to make sure you were fine, and that you were resting." Chase explained, walking over to him. Kyle just sighed at the word 'resting'.

"How could I even think about resting right now? My brain won't let me, I just can't shake this worried feeling." Kyle said, rubbing the bridge of his nose with frustration.

"Is that why you were singing? To try and calm yourself down?" Chase inquired, Kyle nodding in reply.

"Yeah, it wasn't working out very well though." Kyle admitted, glancing at his phone, which was still faintly playing the song he was singing along to. Now that Chase was a lot closer, he could make out the words of the song a lot more easily.

"What song is this? I've never heard it before." Chase asked curiously.

"It's called Safety Net. I listened to it all the time when I was going through...y'know, everything." Kyle explained, Chase nodding knowingly. "It's about someone talking about how a certain person is trying to keep them moving forward, and that person is the only reason their continuing to go on. Therefore calling that person their 'Safety Net', the one that catches them when they fall."

"Wow, that's pretty deep." Chase commented on the song's meaning.

"And every time I started losing hope, I'd just listen to it, and think about my own safety net...you guys." Kyle smiled sadly as he remembered all of the other times he found himself listening to this song. "Just listening to that song, hearing all of the lyrics, really putting some thought into what they meant, made me start thinking about some what if's. What if you, Ryder, the rest of the pups, weren't here. I probably would've gone through with it." Kyle's eyes went wide immediately after he said that, as if he let the last part of his sentence slip. "Er...I..uh..." He stuttered.

"Gone through with what?" Chase asked, Kyle now knowing he shouldn't have said anything. He started mentally scolding himself for talking too much about it, a simple title would've sufficed as an answer. But no, he had to go on and say something he didn't want to.

"I...uh... I uh, n-nothing, nothing. I...probably shouldn't say." Kyle stumbled over his words.

"Why? You don't trust me?" Chase asked, sounding hurt.

"No no no, i-it's not that...it's just..." Kyle paused, trying to formulate some sort of answer. "I don't know if you could handle it, I'm hesitant to tell Ryder about that. I know you're the most mature pup out of all of the PAW Patrol, but...it's a kinda touchy subject."

"Kyle, we've all had to deal with your dad, we've all seen a whole bunch of graphic stuff. I'm pretty sure I'm able to handle anything now." Chase told him. Kyle was about to contradict, but realized that the German Shepherd had a point. Chase was forced to bite him on his arm by his own father, as well as be kidnapped and used as ransom, and he took it very well.

"You do have a point there, Chase. But promise me you'll keep it between us, for the time being? I still have to manage to tell Ryder somehow." Kyle asked.

"I promise, not a word." Chase gave a serious look, showing Kyle that he was being sincere.

"Okay..." Kyle took a deep breath to calm his nerves. "...during those two years my dad abused me, I thought about...killing myself." Kyle finally said, Chase's eyes widening with fear.

"W-what?" Chase stuttered with disbelief, unsure about what he just heard from Kyle.

"I thought about committing suicide. Not just once, too, it started becoming a reoccurring thought towards the end. It first started about a year and a half ago, I first started getting these thoughts about just...ending it all. It wasn't as strong of a thought at the time, so I just pushed it in the back of my mind every time it came back. Those small thoughts kept lingering, but I never payed any attention to them. Then six months later, that's when we found you." Kyle smiled sadly at the memory, Chase too remembering the time where Kyle had first told him about how he was found. "That's when Ryder had thoughts about forming the PAW Patrol and started gathering the rest of the pups. The thoughts stopped for a while, but then I started high school. Everything started getting tougher, grades were harder to maintain, which meant more beatings from my dad. The thoughts started coming back full force this time around, they were a lot more...persuasive." Kyle explained, looking down at his lap, Chase having a horror-stricken expression on his face. "I ended up considering if I should do it or not, what if it could end all of the pain I felt. I started looking into the different ways I could do it, found out that hanging would be the best bet for me. Around a month ago, I actually came really close to going through with it. I had set up everything, had a noose hanging from my ceiling fan, a chair under it, my door was locked and I had my music blasting. But I had some second thoughts, I started thinking about Ryder, how devastated he'd be. I thought about you, how hurt I'd make you if I were to go through with it. I thought how I'd effect everyone else I knew that actually cared about me, and I realized that I couldn't go through with it anymore." Kyle had a few stray tears rolling down his cheeks, but he didn't even bother wiping them. "So if you all weren't here, I wouldn't be alive today." He finished, letting out a shaky breath. He had never mentioned any of this to another living soul, nor did he expect Chase to be the first one he told it too, but he was sure that it was a good feeling to finally get that off his chest. Chase just stared at Kyle with tearful eyes, completely in shock. He slowly walked up to him and jumped into Kyle's lap, wrapping his two front legs around his neck to envelop Kyle in a hug. Kyle wrapped his arms around the German Shepherd pup, who finally let his emotions take over. Kyle just held Chase tightly as sobs wracked his tiny body.

"K-Kyle?" Chase whimpered.

"Y-yeah?" Kyle responded, letting his own tears fall.

"You d-don't have those t-thoughts anymore, r-right?" Chase asked in between sobs.

"No, I don't. I'm a lot happier now, and I wouldn't change anything." Kyle smiled, his own tears soaking the fur on the top of Chase's head.

"Promise that you won't leave me? Ever?" Chase asked.

"I promise, I won't leave you. Not now, not ever." Kyle smiled, the pup's sobs calming down to only one every few seconds.

'I won't let you feel the way I felt, what it's like to lose someone you're close to.' Kyle thought to himself, holding the pup close. The two stayed there like that for a while, the two on the very edge of consciousness before falling asleep when Kyle's phone started ringing. He and Chase both jumped at the sudden disturbance, Chase even letting out a surprised yelp. Kyle immediately reached off of the side of the beanbag chair for his phone, drowsily searching before feeling it vibrating. He picked it up and looked at the caller ID, his eyes widening at the sight.

"It's Ryder!" Kyle exclaimed, immediately answering the call. Chase was brought out of his own drowsy state as soon as Ryder was mentioned.

"Hello?" Kyle said into his phone anxiously.

"Kyle! Rocky pulled through! He's awake!"

* * *

 **~Woo! Chapter 9! We have more news on what happened with Kyle during those two years, and it wasn't good news, that's for sure. Also, Rocky's fine! Maybe they'll find out how he was attacked? We'll see in the next chapter! Also, the song Kyle was singing was the song Safety Net by Framing Hanley, if you would be interested in checking it out. It's a good song, and its rock, so if rock's not your thing, be warned. And sorry for a cliff hanger, but I didn't want the chapter to be too long.** **Thank you all so much for reading, I really do appreciate it. Please leave me some feedback to let me know how I'm doing.**


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